Independence Hall (I, Q Book 1) by Roland Smith

Spies and rock and roll. This unlikely combination is at the heart of Independence Hall the first book in the I, Q series. Quest Munoz, “Q” to his friends, loves magic and has until recently lived on a boat with his songwriter mother, Blaze. When his mom meets (and marries) a rock and roll guitarist, Roger, with a child of his own, sparks fly, and the couple’s new group "Match" lands a hit single on the top of the charts. Roger and Blaze hit the road and bring along their kids along for the ride. As Angela and Quest get to know each other, they begin to notice that all is not as it seems on tour. When an old roadie with a love of James Bond novels shows up out of nowhere, events quickly spiral out of control. Secrets, lies, family history, spy literature, music, and current events quickly blend together to create a riveting cross-continental adventure story. 

If you like this book, you’re in luck, because there are more in the I, Q series. Just look on the shelf under J/SMI. If you have trouble finding a book, remember, you can always head to the Ask Me Desk and a librarian will be happy to help you!

The Picture Books of Nicholas Oldland

 Meet Moose, Bear and Beaver, three unlikely friends.  You won't be able to get enough of them.


So far  there are four books about them. The latest is Up the Creek.

They're funny and not what you'd expect.

 You'll love them.

 In the picture books under Oldland.

The Buck Stops Here: The Presidents of the United States by Alice Provensen

This non-partisan primer to the presidents is essential reading for any historically-minded child. Alice Provensen, a long-time author and illustrator of children's books, dedicates a page (or two) to each of the forty-four presidents. In addition to a drawing of the president, each page is filled with images drawn from the historical events of each man's presidency, and at the bottom is a couplet that describes the man and his times (i.e. Teddy Roosevelt, Twenty six/Whisper softly, wave big sticks.).

This book is a gem because it works on different levels for readers of different ages, and is a particularly good book for reading with a parent. The well-crafted images and simple text are easily accessible to younger readers and the mentions of historical events will entrance older readers. In the back of the book, Provensen provides more detailed, written accounts of each of the presidents where she expands upon what is shown within the book. This 20th anniversary edition adds pages for Bill Clinton (42), George W. Bush (43), and Barack Obama (44).

The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield by John Bemelmans Maricano

Alexander Baddenfield is the last of a long line of Baddenfields.  And the Baddenfields are bad people.  They are mean, spiteful, cranky, rude, bullying jerks.  As the last of the Baddenfields, Alexander has incredible wealth with which to be as bad as he wants to be.

But there's one problem Alexander would like to overcome: because they are so bad, the Baddenfields always die grisly deaths at an early age, despite the efforts of their traditional protectors, the Winterbottoms (you can read more about them for yourself in the book).  So Alexander comes up with a plan: he'll have his cat's nine lives transplanted into himself - that'll give him lots of opportunities to be bad!

After finding a doctor to perform the operation, does Alexander become more cautious?  NO! He becomes more reckless!!  Despite the pleas of his faithful Winterbottom, Alexander cooks up scheme after scheme, each of which results in his untimely demise.  You can read about his nine lives (and his nine deaths) in The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, by John Bemelmans Marciano (the grandson of the author of the original Madeline stories).

The book is full of dark humor, and the illustrations by Sophie Blackall are a great complement to the text.  This isn't a feel-good book about a bad boy learning the error of his ways and becoming a better person.  This is about a bad boy getting what's coming to him - nine times!  A really fun read.