Musings of a Millennial Librarian

Rapunzel’s Revenge By Shannon and Dean Hale 1)     BIBLIOGRAPHY Hale, S., Hale, D., & Hale, N. (2008).  Rapunzels revenge . New York, NY: Bloomsbury. 2)     PLOT SUMMARY Rapunzel was stolen away from her parents when she was three years old by Mother Grothel.   She was raised to believe that Grothel was her real mother and never allowed to go past the wall in the villa.   One day Rapunzel manages to make it past the wall and is shocked at the devastation she sees.   Mason, a guard who is nice to her, tells her to get a drink of water and then head back to the villa.   A woman offers her a drink from her bucket and feels an instant connection to her.   Its Rapunzel’s real mother who has been working as a slave in the mines since Rapunzel was taken from her.   When she gets back to the Grothel, she confronts her, and is sentenced to live in a tower.   While she’s planning her escape she notices...

Roller Girl By Victoria Jamieson 1)     BIBLIOGRAPHY Jamieson, V. (2015).  Roller Girl . New York, NY: Penguin Books.  2)     PLOT SUMMARY Astrid and Nicole have been best friends since the second grade and always done everything together.   The summer before junior high they begin to go separate ways.   Astrid signs up for derby camp and is shocked when Nicole chooses dance camp over it.   As the summer goes by the girls start to drift apart and their friendship is tested.   They both find new friends and new interests.   Astrid and Nicole get into an argument, are both devastated, and believe their friendship is over.   The story ends with Nicole showing up to Astrid’s derby bout; with the girls realizing they still respect each other and hopeful that they will still remain friends in some capacity.   3)     CRITICAL ANALYSIS Roller Girl is about the hard transiti...

The Invention of Hugo Cabret By Brian Selznick 1)     BIBLIOGRAPHY Selznick, B. (2008).  The invention of Hugo Cabret . London: Scholastic. 2)     PLOT SUMMARY Hugo Cabret is a twelve year old boy living in Paris in 1931.   Hugo’s father was a horologist who owned his own clock shop and worked for a museum too.   One day when he was working in the museum, he discovered an automaton and it became a project of him and his son to get it back in working condition.   Hugo’s father took it apart and documented his progress in notebooks.   One night Hugo’s father accidentally got locked in while he was in the museum and died in a fire.   Hugo was left to live with his drunken Uncle Claude who maintained the clocks at the train station.   He was his uncle’s apprentice and no longer attended school.   His uncle would leave him alone to tend the clocks for long stretches and one time he just never came b...

Ghost By Jason Reynolds 1)     BIBLIOGRAPHY Reynolds, J. (2016).  Track . NY, NY: Atheneum Books For Young Readers. 2)     PLOT SUMMARY Castle Cranshaw nicknames himself Ghost because that’s what he feels like since his father tried to shoot him and his mother.   Ghost gets into altercations at school and feels as if he merely exists.   The night his father tried to shoot him is the night he learned to run fast.   He and his mother escaped from his father to Mr. Charles’ store and there life hasn’t been the same since.   Ghost wanders home from school slowly since his mom works late, and one day comes across a track practice.   After he watches awhile he believes that he can beat them and challenges Lu to a race.   The race is very close and Coach Brody wants him to join the team.   Coach convinces Ghost’s mom to let him join the team and she agrees as long as Ghost stays out of trouble.   Th...

Five Feet Apart By Rachael Lippincott ** New York Times Bestseller ** Lippincott, R., Daughtry, M., & Iaconis, T. (2018).  Five Feet Apart.  NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.             Five Feet Apart is a story of two kids, Stella and Will, and they’re love story in spite of both suffering health complications.   Stella Grant has cystic fibrosis and her lung function is at 35%.   She has just entered the hospital because of a sore throat and fever, and is missing her senior trip to Cabo with friends.   The only hope for her is to receive a lung transplant that will give her a few more years.   Stella uses social media to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis, and has created an app for regimen to keep her focused on her plan.   Stella, just like all CFers, is under strict orders to stay six feet apart from all CFers in order to not get an infection. ...

Dumplin’ By Julie Murphy ** Quick Picks ** Murphy, J. (2015).  Dumplin . NY: Balzer Bray.             Willowdean Dickson, known as Dumplin’ by her mother, is a teenager living in Clover City, TX.   She introduces herself to Bo, the new guy working at Harpy’s, as a cashier, Dolly Parton, enthusiast, and resident fat girl.   Her hometown is known for its Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant, and Willowdean’s mother was a former beauty queen and now runs the pageant.   Despite the fact that her mother was a former beauty queen, Willowdean doesn’t feel a need to be like her and is confident in who she is.   She is comfortable in her skin and being overweight doesn’t bother her.               Willow and her best friend bonded over their love of Dolly Parton and have been inseparable ever since.   Ellen has a boyfriend Tim, but he do...

Between the Lines By Nikki Grimes ** Quick Picks ** Grimes, N. (2019).  Between the lines . New York, NY: Penguin Books.             Darrian Lopez is a Puerto Rican junior in high school whose dream is someday write for the New York Times.   He lives with his dad, who when he finally shares his dream with, brings home New York Times that are left behind after his bus shift.   His brother passed away from breast cancer about a year ago.   Darrian doesn’t know where to start to go about achieving his dream, and the librarian, Mr. Winston, suggests poetry and learning the power of words.   Darrian had heard about Mr. Ward’s open mike poetry readings on Friday, and asks the counselor to switch to his class. In Mr. Ward’s class, Darrian realizes he’s not alone and his fellow classmates are doing their best too with the challenges in their lives.   Throughout their classes with Mr. Ward, ...