Staff Gift Suggestions 2011

The many suggestions on this list come from the staff of the St. Charles Public Library. You will find books for adults and youth, novels and nonfiction, graphic novels, sound recordings, and DVDs. We hope you find the perfect gift for someone on your holiday list.

If you have questions or need more suggestions, just Ask Us!

• Nonfiction for Adults
• Fiction for Adults
• Sound Recordings
• DVDs
• Picture Books for Youth
• Chapter Books
• Nonfiction for Youth
• Graphic Novels

Nonfiction for Adults

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared, Alice Ozma
The author, named after “Alice” from Lewis Carroll and “Ozma” from L. Frank Baum, tells about the promise she made with her father, an elementary school librarian, when she was in fourth grade – to read aloud together for 100 nights. They continued their “streak” until the day Alice entered college, eight years or 3,218 days later. The reading “streak” changed their lives so profoundly that Alice has made a commitment to spread the word about reading and the importance of making a reading promise.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading, Nina Sankovitch
A memoir, borne in grief over the loss of her sister, explores the healing power of total immersion reading. The author vowed to read a book a day for a year and to blog about it. http://www.readallday.org/blog/ Any lover of books will want this on their bedside table.

A Bee in a Cathedral: And 99 Other Scientific Analogies, Joel Levy
Levy is a journalist writing about history and science. In this book he illustrates scientific concepts for general readers. For instance, the nucleus of an atom is about as large as a ‘bee in a cathedral.’ Each concept is done as a two-page spread and the book offers shorts bites of interesting information to browse at leisure.

Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, Michael Pollan, illustrated by Maira Kalman
Read it for the back-to-basics rules for healthy eating and enjoy it for the delectable illustrations by Kalman.

You:  Stress Less: The Owner’s Manual for Regaining Balance in Your Life, Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Everything you need to know is included in this 96-page book about beating stress. The basic science of stress is covered along with a diet to help you regulate it, meditation techniques, and tools to evaluate your lifestyle.

The Complete Gardener’s Guide, Simon Akeroyd
For the practical gardener, Akeroyd has put together a one-stop manual with over 1,000 photographs that illustrate techiques and tools, planning and design. This is a wonderful book for beginning as well as experienced gardeners.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life, Bill Bryson
Bryson takes readers on a tour of his house, a rural English parsonage, showing how each room has figured in the evolution of private life. Readers who have come to rely on Bryson taking a fresh, witty view of whatever tickles his fancy will not be disappointed.

50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker, Lynn Alley
With a delicious variety of slow-cooked soups in a lovely presentation, this is a yummy gift to give. But if you were hoping to take a look at the Library’s copy first, there’s some sad news. We just cannot keep this on the shelf – it’s that soup time of year. Do place a hold, though, and it will find its way to you!

A Green Guide to Traditional Country Foods: Discover Traditional Ways to Cure and Smoke, Pickle and Preserve, Henrietta Green, editor
If you know someone who enjoys traditional country foods and food expert Green, take a look at this book. It makes the perfect gift for a cook who would like to try out some country cooking methods. Henrietta Green has divided the book into six chapters: Dairy, Bakery, Pantry, Candy Store, Butcher’s Shop, and Smokehouse. Basics are covered, histories shared, techniques explained, and recipes given. Henrietta Green is an award-winning food writer.

Good Eating’s Best of the Best: Great Recipes of the Past Decade From the Chicago Tribune Test Kitchen, Carol Mighton Haddix
Since the Chicago Tribune is one of the few U.S. newspapers utilizing a real test kitchen, readers trust recipes and tips published in the weekly “Good Eating” section. Here are 50 of the “very best” recipes from the last decade. You will find appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, salads, baked goods, and desserts. This would make a nice gift for a visiting out-of-town guest.

The Chicago Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes, Heather Lalley
Use fresh, use local for best results and healthiest food you can put on your table. This book celebrates the growing trend to find homegrown food in our area. It also profiles Chicago chefs who work together with local farms and presents recipes organized by season. 

Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love, Sarah Matheny
This book is based on the popular blog, “Peas and Thank You” and shares all-new vegetarian recipes from favorite veggie mom Matheny.

Food Safari: Glorious Adventures Through a World of Cuisines, Maeve O’Meara
For the home cook who enjoys exploring the unfamiliar and exotic, O’Meara’s globetrot through 34 unique cuisines may make the perfect gift. Included with the 180 recipes (for main courses, side dishes, desserts, and more) are stories and traditions of cuisines from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. O’Meara offers advice on shopping for ingredients and use of various cooking implements.

The Taste of Home Cookbook, Taste of Home Books
The third edition of this trusted reference cookbook has over 1,600 recipes, half of them all-new. For cooks of all skills, it includes light, award-winning, and fast menus that will be sure to please.

Taste of Home Cookies, Taste of Home Books
Totally awesome cookie recipes are found in “Taste of Home’s Cookies” book. I have made several of the recipes and they have all been good or great.  I really like the fact that most of the recipes have a photo as well.

Ultimate Guide: Home Repair and Improvement, Creative Homeowner, 3rd edition
Updated this year, this photo-filled book covers the home from top to bottom, inside and out. There are many color photos and illustrations to help the home owner understand the various parts of the home and keep them in good repair.

Curly Girl: The Handbook, Lorraine Massey
Know someone who is frazzled by frizzy hair? This would make a great gift. It contains a lot of information about curly hair “… since I’ve started following her suggestions, my [curly] hair has gotten a lot less frizzy.” Lorraine Massey, curly hair expert, created this volume, which includes a how-to DVD, for the estimated 65 percent of women with naturally curly or wavy hair. Forget the bad hair days, celebrate the curl!

Show Dad How: The New Dad’s Guide to Baby’s First Year, Shawn Bean
Becoming a parent for the first time can be a pretty scary business. Take a little mystery out of it for your favorite dad-to-be with this practical, playful guide. It presents things the new father needs to know one at a time to keep them from being overwhelming. All readers will appreciate the humorous illustrations.

Great Paintings: [the world’s masterpieces explored and explained], DK Publishing
This collection of sixty-six of the world’s art masterpieces is arranged chronologically and includes artist biographies and background about the social and historical influences on the artists. It would make a wonderful gift to the art lover who would like to travel to have a personal tour of world-renown galleries.

She Walks in Beauty: A Woman's Journey Through Poems, Caroline Kennedy, editor
This anthology is Kennedy's selection of poetry that tells the story of a woman's life including first love and lasting love; marriage, motherhood, and work; times of silence and solitude, and times of awe.

Crap at My Parents’ House, Joel Dovev
Comedian Dovev took the best of the worst submitted from around the world to compile the “crap” list. It’s laugh-out-loud funny and you will not believe what someone else’s mom and dad have kept over the years in commemoration of (and to the embarrassment of) their dear children.

All Access: The Rock 'N' Roll Photography of Ken Regan, Ken Regan
This 5 lb. coffee table book is your all access pass to the likes of Jagger, Dylan, The Beatles, Joplin, Cash, Springsteen, Simon, U2, Madonna, and a whole lot more.

The World’s Must-See Places, DK Publishing, Inc.
Take a tour with DK Eyewitness of more than 100 of the world's greatest sights. The unique artwork, in 3-D cutaways, allows you to see inside buildings and features architecture of modern sights from every continent. Included are world-renown landmarks, such as Chartres Cathedral and the Sydney Opera House, along with fabulous lesser-known sights, including the Kairouan Mosque in Tunisia and the Toshu-gu Shrine in Japan. Add, as we have come to except from DK, there’s so much more in this dazzling armchair travel reader.

Food Lovers’ Guide to Chicago: Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants & Events,
Jennifer Olvera
This paperback is almost small enough to be a stocking-stuffer. It would be a good reference for Chicago area suburbanites who get into the city only occasionally.

Mastering Online Genealogy, W. Daniel Quillen
Quillen offers guidance and common-sense advice to readers researching family histories online.

A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neil MacGregor
MacGregor, the director of the British Museum, takes us on a tour of humankind by way of our objects. Ranging from pottery to stained glass to credit cards, learn about how what we make and treasure reflects who we are as a species. MacGregor’s writing is both literate and engaging, and the book is lavishly and beautifully illustrated with the objects in question.

Fiction for Adults

In the Sea There Are Crocodiles: A Novel: Based on the True Story of Enaiatollah Akbari, Fabio Geda
In 2000, the mother of ten-year-old Enaiatollah Akbari sends him across the border into Pakistan after their small village is overtaken by the Taliban. Left to fend for himself, Enaiat begins an unfathomable five-year ordeal, which takes him through Iran, Turkey, and Greece and into political asylum in Italy at the age of fifteen. Enaiat is resourceful and determined but his journey is difficult and dangerous. It is a journey shared by many others, a journey that claimed many casualties. Still, this epic story of hope and survival is told with humor and humanity.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, Tom Franklin
Two unlikely school friends, one white, one black, both on the fringes of Mississippi society, go their separate ways after the white, Larry, is suspected in a girl’s disappearance. 20 years later Larry’s black friend Silas is back as town constable. Another girl goes missing and their paths cross again.

Nightwoods, Charles Frazier
After her sister is murdered, Luce, who is a recluse living in the mountains of North Carolina, must care for her niece and nephew, 7-year-old twins who have witnessed enough tragedy to leave them scarred and mute.  There is dark humor and great storytelling in this suspenseful, literary novel.

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel, Anthony Horowitz
Horowitz is well known for the Alex Rider adventures written for young adults and TV screenplays (Foyle’s War), so those familiar with his writing might expect him to do an admirable job of authoring a Sherlock Holmes novel. It is admirable, but also awesome. From the very first page you can hear Watson’s voice and sense the workings of Holmes’ mind. This is great fun for Sherlock fans.

The Story of a Beautiful Girl, Rachel Simon 
Young, white Lynnie has a developmental disability. Homan, an African-American, is deaf. Both are locked in the Pennsylvania School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and they are in love. They manage to escape together and find refuge in the home of a widow, where Lynnie quietly gives birth to their daughter. They are discovered and while Homan escapes again, Lynnie is caught. Their baby remains secreted away with Martha. This is the story of the 40-year journey of Lynnie and Homan to find each other again and to find their child.

The Submission, Amy Waldman
A Manhattan jury must decide on a 9/11 memorial based on anonymous submissions.  Choosing was easy enough, but when the winner turns out to be an enigmatic Muslim American, thoughts and opinions, pressures and doubts emerge. This probing novel raises questions about how to understand, remember, and recover from a national tragedy.

Sound Recordings

Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars
This indie/folk/country duo has a haunting sound and a winning chemistry. Nick Chaney of the SCPL inTune blog says, “Their debut album, Barton Hollow, is nothing short of pure bliss.”

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 19 & 23, Helene Grimaud
The recording of the credenza in Concerto No. 23 caused a kerfuffle in the classical enclave.  Also included on the CD are Mozart Concert Arias sung by soprano Mojca Erdmann.

Music Is Better Than Words, Seth MacFarlane
This excellent sound recording includes some duets and memorable songs from shows and movies such as Gigi, The Sound of Music, and The Music Man.

A Very She & Him Christmas, She & Him
This collection of holiday favorites is what comes from two performers who are happy to dwell in the Land of Misfit Toys. It’s a sweet, as in butterscotch candy, listen.

DVDs

America Lost and Found: The BBS Story
America Lost and Found is a terrific box set compiling seven independent films put out by BBS productions in the early ‘70s. It is perfect for any film buff’s collection or just for those uninitiated with the undisputed American classics included in the set (Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Last Picture Show).

Eclipse Series 29: Aki Kaurismaki’s Leningrad Cowboys
The films of the Leningrad Cowboys are a wonderful mix of culture shock deadpan and hilarious visual gags that should please any Spinal Tap or Flight of the Conchords fans. The films (of which there are two, plus a concert) follow the (fictional-turned-real) Finnish rock group Leningrad Cowboys all over America and Mexico as they endearingly butcher some of the most iconic songs of our musical history.

Alfred Hitchcock: The Essentials Collection
This year marks the first time that a reasonably priced Hitchcock set has hit the market. In this definitive release, the term “essential” truly does apply since the set includes: Psycho, Rear Window, The Birds, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. This is masterful cinema in a very convenient bundle, the way it should always be.

Picture Books for Youth

Grandpa’s Tractor, Michael Garland
In this picture book, Grandpa Joe and his grandson Timmy visit the farm where Joe spent much of his youth. The rusty tractor in the abandoned farm field causes Joe to reminisce about how integral the tractor was to everyday family life, for plowing, riding through the fields to pick apples, or haul fire wood. Garland illustrates Joe’s memories with vivid illustrations in this poignant cross-generational story.

Let’s Do Nothing! Tony Fucile
Frankie and Sal are two boys who have done everything, many times over. What can they do now? Nothing. They decide to do nothing! Can they do nothing? Laugh-out-loud as they try to do nothing and discover a universal truth.

Bubble Trouble, Margaret Mahy, illustrations by Polly Dunbar
When little Mabel blows a bubble and her baby brother floats away in it, the whole town chases after him attempting to save him. Told delightfully in bouncy rhyme and very fun to read aloud, this tale not only rhymes, but carries the reader through a text that plays with rhythm and sound.

Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp! Margaret Mayo, illustrated by Alex Ayliffe
Vibrant colors, dynamic illustrations, and active, rhythmic language make this a great read aloud choice for dinosaur lovers. The author manages to make even the herbivores sound tough by the way their 'chomping' is portrayed. The colors and sharp contrasts make the dinosaurs seem to almost leap from the page.

The Quiet Bunny, Lisa McCue
Quiet Bunny loves the sound of the forest, especially the night song. One night, he wishes to be able to make a sound, any sound, to join in. Though he spends the next day on a journey to find a sound and even tries to copy the bird's chirp and the snake's hiss, he is still unable to make any sound. After some sage advice from Owl, he is able to start the night song in his own special way.

Lion and the Mouse, Jerry Pinkney
Winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal, this is a nearly wordless adaptation of Aesop's beloved fable. Varied perspectives including panels of close-ups make this a book you want to stop on every page to examine the detail. Words are not needed to show how important friends are – big and small.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
As the sun begins to set on a construction site, the trucks finish up their work for the day. Each has its own nighttime routine from snuggling up with a blanket to turning on a nightlight. "Shh… goodnight, Excavator, goodnight."

Interrupting Chicken, David Ezra Stein
Each night just before bed, Papa reads Little Red Chicken a bedtime story. 'You're not going to interrupt the story tonight, are you?' 'Oh no, Papa. I'll be good.' But just as the story gets going and it looks as if there might be some trouble ahead, Little Red just can't help herself. She jumps into the story and finishes it swiftly saving the characters. Caldecott Honor Book 2011

Press Here, Hervé Tullet
This great picture book is interactive. There are no flaps to lift but on each page there is text giving the reader instructions. When you follow the instructions and turn the page, it is as though the book is responding to your actions. It’s very fun to do, and it makes a great gift because kids will likely want to repeat the actions over and over.

Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! Mo Willems
Having a stuffed alligator for a best friend is full of surprises and loads of fun. But when Amanda brings home a panda, can alligator learn to make a new friend? Mo Willems created 6 ½ stories about friendship. 

Chapter Books

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, Tom Angleberger  Gr. 3-6
Sixth-grader Dwight interacts with his classmates via a paper finger puppet of Yoda. His classmates notice that the puppet is uncannily wise and can almost predict the future. Can this be true? As Tommy and other classmates try to figure this out, their contributions assemble the case file that forms this novel.  Follow-up book is Darth Paper Strikes Back.

Troublemaker, Andrew Clements Gr. 4-6
Clements newest book is about the fine line between good-humored mischief and dangerous behavior and how everyday choices can close or open doors. When his older brother gets into serious trouble, sixth-grader Clay decides to change his troublemaking ways, but the joke may be on him. As hard as he tries, he just can't seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker.

Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Karen Cushman  Gr. 6-8
With a name like Meggy Swann everything in life should be lovely. Unfortunately, that is very far from the truth when your legs are crippled, your mother finds you a bother, and everyone in London shuns the unfortunate. However, it is Meggy's high spirit and determination that carry her through the difficult daily tasks. Sent to her father, Meggy arrives with not much more than her goose. With his alchemy experiments failing, money is scarce and her father's needs are quite demanding. Soon she finds herself caught up in her father's dark schemes and she is determined that things do not go as planned

Tuesdays at the Castle, Jessica Day George  Gr. 4-8
Tuesdays at Castle Glower are rather unusual, but are Princess Celie's favorite days. On Tuesdays, the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one knows what the castle will do next and only Celie takes the time to map out the new additions. This comes in handy when the King and Queen are ambushed and their fate is unknown and it's up to Celie to protect their home and save their kingdom.

How Oliver Olson Changed the World, Claudia Mills Gr. 2-4
Oliver's 3rd grade class is studying the solar system and everyone will get to look through a real telescope to see the planets on their space sleepover. How can Oliver convince his over-protective parents to let him sleep over too? Oliver feels left out just like Pluto, until he finds an ally in his diorama partner, Claudia.

War Horse, Michael Morpurgo, Gr. 5-8
Joey is a working horse on an English farm and dearly loved by Albert, the farmer’s son. Joey is also the narrator. When Albert’s father sells Joey to an officer in the cavalry at the beginning of World War I, the reader goes along, a witness to the war as seen by Joey. This book would make a wonderful gift as the movie version is due out on December 25th.

A World Without Heroes, Brandon Mull Gr. 4-7
Jason Walker lives a predictable life: going to school and playing baseball until one day he falls through a tunnel and ends up in a new, utterly foreign world called Lyrian. The People of Lyrian live in fear of their malicious Emperor. As Jason searches for a way home, he learns of a magical, ancient word that could destroy the Emperor and save Lyrian, but he only discovers one of its six syllables. Jason finds himself in great danger and must embark on an epic quest to discover the remaining syllables and take down his powerful new enemy. Aided by Rachel, another Beyonder also searching for a way home, the two face challenges and encounter places and people they can barely believe are real. Book 1 in the Beyonders series.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Pictures and Words, Brian Selznick Gr. 4-8
Hugo Cabret is the orphaned son of a clockmaker being raised by his uncle who tends the clocks in the Paris train station. Hugo becomes intrigued with a toy shop in the train station and keeps a stash of toy parts that he pilfers from the shop. From these parts, he is able to rebuild the broken automaton machine that he found in the wreckage of a museum fire. He is convinced that the automaton holds a message for him from his father. This Caldecott Award winning book the new movie is based on includes one hundred and fifty-eight spectacular illustrations that tell the story with as much power as the words do. Also look for Wonderstruck, a second novel in pictures and words by Brian Selznick.

Frankly Frannie, A. J. Stern  Gr. 2-3
This is the first in a series of 6 books about business-minded Frannie Miller who cannot wait to grow up. While it’s taking eleventeen hundred years to grow up, she’s already set with her resume and business cards ready to drop off at the radio station her class is visiting on a fieldtrip. Unfortunately, Frannie is also disaster prone and her attempts to do good cause havoc.  

Young Fredle, Cynthia Voigt   Gr. 2-5
Life as a kitchen pantry mouse is filled with danger not only from the inside cat. Young Fredle learns that chocolate is even more dangerous despite it being the most wonderful taste he has ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Chocolate leads to his being caught and thrown outside. This outside world is even more dangerous especially without his family to teach him. There are encounters with dogs, raccoons, owls, as well as dealing with being lonely and finding his way back inside. Young Fredle's adventures are filled with awe and wonder as he discovers his strengths in his quest to stay alive.

Pie, Sarah Weeks   Gr. 3-6 
A story of family, friendships, and pie! In her will, Aunt Polly leaves her world-famous pie-crust recipe to her cat which is left in the care of 10-year-old Alice. Alice is thrown in the middle of a pie-storm as everyone in the community is vying to be the next pie-contest winner. Pie recipes are included in every chapter.

Countdown, Deborah Wiles   Gr. 5-8
The year 1962 comes alive with the lyrics, photos, commercials, speeches, drills, and cartoons of the time in this extremely well written book. It weaves Franny's story during the Cuban Missle Crisis with her Uncle Ott's WWII losses that are very much a part of his every day, with all the other day-to-day happenings in her family during this historic time.

Nonfiction for Youth

A Butterfly is Patient, Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long
The beauty and wonder of these winged creatures are celebrated in this informative introduction to the world of butterflies from iridescent blue swallowtails and brilliant orange monarchs to the world’s tiniest butterfly (Western Pygmy Blue) and the largest (Queen Alexandra's Birdwing).

Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder, Mark Cassino
How do snow crystals form? Are there ever two snow crystals exactly alike? These questions and others are answered in this simple book about how snow crystals form.

The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West, Sid Fleischman 
In one of his last books, Sid Fleischman takes a look at the life of the great American author who started as a wisecracking adventurer coming of age in the untamed West and surprised himself by becoming the most famous American of his time. Mark Twain advertised his lectures: "Doors open at 7 o'clock. Trouble to begin at 8 o'clock."

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Candace Fleming
The thrilling story of America's most celebrated flyer, Amelia Earhart, with incredible photos, maps, and handwritten notes from Amelia herself, this unique title is tailor-made for middle graders.

Just a Second, Steve Jenkins
This nonfiction picture book explores time and how we think about it in a different way – as a series of events in the natural world (some of them directly observable, others not) that take place in a given unit of time. Some surprising even amazing things can take place in a very short time.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, Kadir Nelson
The history of America is shown through the lens of the African-American experience from slavery to the presidency.

The Wonder Book, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Paul Schmid
This amusing book is filled with things that the author (and maybe you) have wondered about. Like, who hid something under the Tooth Fairy's pillow when she was a little girl?  Be prepared to laugh out loud and think about the world in ways you haven't before.

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature, Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
A Caldecott medalist and a Newbery Honor-winning poet team up to celebrate the beauty of spirals in nature from elephant tusks to spiraling galaxies.

Every Thing on It, Shel Silverstein 
This includes over one hundred and thirty never-seen-before poems and drawings of the beloved American poet selected by his family

Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World, Douglas Wood, illustrated by Barry Moser
Christmas 1941 brought President Franklin Delano Roosevelt a holiday visit from Prime Minister Winston Churchill. During his extraordinary month-long stay, their friendship was sealed and they planned the success of the Allied powers as well as strategized a continuing peace for when the war ended.

Graphic Novels

Night of the Living Dust Bunnies, Erik Craddock
The sixth book in a Stone Rabbit series chronicles more of the zany adventures of a quick-tempered and quick-witted young rabbit. While he is out trick-or-treating, all of the dirt in Stone Rabbit's house comes to life and turns the citizens of Happy Glades into zombie dust bunnies! Will Stone Rabbit be able to clean up his town?

The Adventures of TinTin, Hergé 
With the movie out this Christmas, this series of books chronicles the adventures from trolling the high seas for treasure to blasting off for the moon of the reporter-turned-detective and his friends who have entertained readers for generations.   

Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco, Jarrett Krosoczka
The school lunch lady is a secret crime fighter in this series. This is book 6 in the series and the school Breakfast Bunch go on a class trip to the art museum where some of the artwork looks suspiciously fake.

Big Nate Out Loud, Lincoln Pierce
A collection of Big Nate comic strips originally published only in newspapers about middle schooler, Nate Wright, who is 11 years old, four-and-a-half feet tall, and has the distinction of setting the record for detentions.

Smile, Raina Telgemeier
Middle school and dental drama seem to go together and unfortunately, this is what eleven-year-old Raina is facing. One night after a trip-and-fall mishap, she injures her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, corrective surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's middle school to deal with.

St. Charles Public Library

For help finding these or other books, just Ask Us! 

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