October Book Bunch

Wednesday, October 25th at 4:30 p.m.
Click here to register.

Join Caroline and Erica for a book discussion and trivia game for 4th through 8th graders! We will be reading The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner.

Meet Moth Hush – she is obsessed with witches but doesn’t realize that she and her family have a connection with witches. When bullies disrupt Moth’s Halloween, Moth begins to discover that she has magical powers. Moth finds a strange diary, unlocks a hidden world and also discovers secrets about her family’s legacy and her town – Bluff, Massachusetts.

The Trove will provide a free copy of the book for the first eight individuals to register for the discussion. When the books are available, we will email to arrange pickup; please list an email address and phone number when registering. You can also place a hold on the book using our catalog.

Recommended read if you like The Okay Witch:

The Witches of Brooklyn
For Grades 4-8
Library Collection
Ebook: Libby

“When a young girl comes to a new home, her family’s magical secrets are unveiled in this graphic-novel series opener.

When 11-year-old Effie’s mother dies, she is taken to live with her elderly, snarky, fashion-forward aunt, Selimene, and her partner, Carlota, in Brooklyn. Until Effie’s music idol, Tily Shoo, arrives with an incurable curse, Effie thinks her aunts are herbalists and acupuncturists. Secretly, they’re also witches! Is Effie a witch too? Magic or no magic, Effie learns there’s power in finding one’s true self and that the path to happiness comes from serving others. The full-color illustrations mix warm earth tones and enticing pastels to create a realistic, comforting world. Clever embellishments, such as floor plans detailing the nooks and crannies of Selimene and Carlota’s house, expand the setting and encourage readers to linger. Leaning heavily on speech-bubbled dialogue and avoiding narration, the text uses an assortment of fonts and line weights to convey emotion and develop characters in tandem with the illustrations. The relationships among Effie and her aunts are nuanced and distinct, with humor to spare. Effie’s backstory is vaguely constructed, but the specificity of her current story compensates for this minor flaw. Visual elements hint at Effie’s probably mixed (Asian/white) heritage; both aunts have gray hair and fair complexions. Supporting characters are depicted with a variety of skin tones and hair colors/textures, although specific cultural markers are seldom provided. A mixture of everyday adventures and enchanting fantasy, this lighthearted story will delight readers.(Graphic fantasy. 8-12)” –Kirkus Review

October Graphic Novel Book Club

Monday, October 23rd at 5:00 p.m.
Click here to register.

Join Caroline and Kat for a book discussion and trivia game for 3rd through 6th graders! We will be reading Song of the Sea by Samuel Sattin.

Siblings Ben and Saoirse are still dealing with the death of their mother. Their father, who is a lighthouse keeper, is also dealing with his own grief. Soon the siblings discover secrets about themselves and realize that the stories their mother told them about the sea is real. The two set on an adventure to keep the spirit world of the sea alive. Let your imagination swim wild as you embark on a mystical journey to discover magical creatures and to hear the songs of the sea.

The Trove will provide a free copy of the book for the first eight individuals to register for the discussion. When the books are available, we will email to arrange pickup; please list an email address and phone number when registering. You can also place a hold on the book using our catalog.

Recommended read if you like Song of the Sea:

Tidesong
For Grades 3-6
Library Collection
eBook: Libby

“A legacy of magic binds two aspiring hopefuls from different worlds together. Inspired in part by East Asian cultures, this graphic novel’s prologue reveals that a dragon draws rebuke from her family when she leaves the sea to be with her love, a fisherman. Now known as the Wu clan, their descendants earn respect from the dragons when they combine their collective magic and repel a powerful hurricane the dragons sent to destroy the kingdom. From then on, the dragons promise to always answer the call of the Wu family. In the present day, 12-year-old Sophie Wu, an aspiring witch, is determined to perfect her spells for her audition to the Royal Magic Academy. She travels to stay with her young aunt, Sage, a recent Academy graduate, and her cantankerous great-aunt in Dragon Bay Harbor Town to learn from them. However, her great-aunt’s incessant negativity about her talents—which she hopes to disprove—and her own insecurities cause Sophie to lose control of a spell. A dragon named Lir becomes stuck in human form with no memories of what came before. A diplomatic conflict ensues that threatens the peace between dragons and humans unless Sophie and Lir are able to untangle their intertwined magic. Reminiscent of Kiki’s Delivery Service, the colorful panels are filled with movement, and the manga-style art pops. Characters have skin tones ranging from light to mid-brown and hair in varying shades of brown. A fun, fantastical romp.”  –Kirkus Reviews

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