Staff Picks: Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake with pictures by Jon Klassen (Juvenile Fiction)

Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake with pictures by Jon Klassen 

I’m a long-time fan of children’s book author and illustrator Jon Klassen, so I was immediately drawn to his latest illustration project, Skunk and Badger, a fresh take on the power of unlikely friendship. 

Brownstone roommates fun-loving Skunk and introverted rock-hound Badger remind me of a more cosmopolitan version of the classic Frog and Toad-like odd couple. However, unlike Arnold Lobel’s beloved Frog and Toad series which is an early reader staple, Skunk and Badger is geared for later elementary to middle grade readers due to the length (122 pages), sophisticated humor, and themes.  

In a recent interview with WABE “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes, Newbery Honoree author Amy Timberlake said she wanted to make a book that would make an adult laugh, so “the child would get the sense of the adult laughing and they could laugh with the adult at the same time, even if they didn’t quite get the humor.” 

This book certainly provides some laugh-out-loud moments for any reader. The combination of Amy Timberlake’s wit, scientific details, and heart-warming character arcs is delightful. Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen’s wistful illustrations are the icing on the cake. Make sure you have a dictionary or dictionary app nearby because Skunk and Badger is the kind of book that will surely expand your vocabulary. 

If your child loves animals, quirky characters, and dry humor, Skunk and Badger will make for a memorable read or mutually entertaining read aloud. 

Leslie
Youth Specialist 
#WeKnowBooks 

Forsyth County Public Library Bookmobile Arrives Next Week

It’s big, it’s blue, and it’s coming to a neighborhood near you! Forsyth County Public Library announced today that its Bookmobile, a rolling library measuring over 33 feet long, is expected to arrive on Thursday, October 29. 

Forsyth County Public Library’s Bookmobile is prepared for a 1,400-mile journey from Colorado to Cumming. (Image courtesy of Summit Bodyworks)

Residents on the west side of the county may catch a glimpse of the Bookmobile as it completes the final leg of its 1,400 mile journey from Fort Lupton, Colorado where it was custom-built to meet the literary needs of Forsyth County’s readers. The Bookmobile will stop at Forsyth County’s Fleet Maintenance garage for a final inspection, training, and installation of license plates and decals required for local operation. 

Then, the Bookmobile will move to its designated parking area at the library’s administrative offices adjacent to the Cumming Library to be outfitted for its first tour of Forsyth County. The library’s Information Technology staff will install equipment for the Bookmobile’s Wi-Fi, computers, and printers while staff from the Outreach department shelves a wide selection of books and materials for readers of all ages.

The launch of the Bookmobile is a result of the Library’s strategic plan, especially the goal of serving the entire Forsyth County community.

“The idea of adding bookmobile services came out of our strategic planning retreat, which included patrons, elected officials, community leaders, and other stakeholders. Participants identified the need for delivery of library services beyond the boundaries of our buildings,” says Library Director Anna Lyle.

“Impact fees collected by Forsyth County made the goal into a reality,” adds Lyle.

Approximately $400,000 in impact fees funded the custom vehicle and its contents, including on board computer equipment and books.

The Bookmobile is expected to be fully outfitted and ready to begin building routes around Forsyth County in late November. 

Upon arrival, the Bookmobile will be outfitted with computers, equipment, and thousands of books before it begins regular routes around Forsyth County. (Image courtesy of Summit Bodyworks)

“We’re so excited to get behind the wheel and meet readers in the more remote areas of our county,” says Outreach Manager Sarah Reynolds, who leads the library’s Outreach team and is one of three library staff members who will operate the Bookmobile. 

The Bookmobile will lower barriers to using public libraries by bringing books, technology, and resources to areas that are further away from the library’s physical locations. With nearly 250 square miles to cover in Forsyth County and over 236,000 residents, demand for the Bookmobile’s services is expected to be high.

“We’ve been working with local organizations to identify areas where travel to existing library branches is difficult or inconvenient because of limited transportation options. Those locations will be among the Bookmobile’s first routes,” adds Reynolds.

The Bookmobile is expected to begin visiting housing authority locations, parks, food banks, and other stops, primarily in the northern part of Forsyth County. Additional locations, such as schools and community gathering places in the southern part of the county, are expected to be included in the Bookmobile’s routes in 2021. 

With bright blue paint, a collection of 3,500 books, modular furniture, hydraulic wheelchair lift, and a 22-foot awning sheltering a 72-inch television screen, the Bookmobile will serve as a rolling ambassador to expand awareness about all the materials and resources Forsyth County Public Library offers Forsyth residents. 

“An important part of bringing the Bookmobile to these remote areas will be to talk with families and individuals who may not have visited our libraries and introduce them to the free services public libraries provide,” says Reynolds.

Students enrolled in Forsyth County Schools who visit the Bookmobile can learn how to access their free virtual Forsyth County Public Library card. Other students, children, adults, and seniors visting Bookmobile stops will be encouraged to apply for a free library card, if they do not already have one.

Information about the Bookmobile, including routes, stops, or other special appearances, will be posted as details become available on the library’s website at https://www.forsythpl.org/Bookmobile.

  

Kids' Book Spotlight- Adventure Teen Books

 "Keep reading. It's one of the most marvelous adventures that anyone can have."

- Lloyd Alexander

Teen Middle (Grades 6-8)

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation

by Stuart Gibbs

The CIA forces twelve-year-old Charlotte "Charlie" Thorne, a rebellious genius, to use her code-breaking skills on an epic global chase to locate Einstein's last equation before dangerous agents discover it and unlock the solution to harnessing energy.

Dead Voices

by Katherine Arden

Trapped in a haunted ski resort, Ollie, Coco, and Brian must rely on their friendship and sharp minds if they want to escape.

Words on Fire

by Jennifer Nielsen

In 1893, twelve-year-old Audra lives on a farm in Lithuania, and tries to avoid the Cossack soldiers who enforce the Russian decrees that ban Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language; but when the soldiers invade the farm Audra is the only one who escapes and, unsure of what has happened to her parents, she embarks on a dangerous journey, carrying the smuggled Lithuanian books that fuel the growing resistance movement, unsure of who to trust, but risking her life and freedom for her country.

The Perils of the Frog Prince

by Megan Morrison

Prince Syrah of the Olive Isles used to be human (and a jerk), but for the last fifteen months he has been a frog (still a jerk) and he would really, really, like to be human again. Although life has been a little better since Rapunzel found him, the spell he is under prevents people from realizing who he is--his one advantage is that he can hear people's thoughts when his skin is in contact with them, and hopefully he can use that to save Rapunzel and Jack, and earn his humanity back.

The Fowl Twins

by Eoin Colfer

One week after their eleventh birthday, the Fowl twins-scientist Myles and Beckett, the force of nature-befriend a troll who has clawed his way through the earth's crust to the surface. Unfortunately, the troll is being chased by a nefarious nobleman and an interrogating nun, who both need the magical creature for their own gain, as well as a fairy-in-training who has been assigned to protect him. As the trio get shot at, kidnapped, buried, arrested, threatened and killed (temporarily), they discover that the strongest bond in the world is not the one forged by covalent electrons in adjacent atoms, but the one that exists between a pair of twins.

Teen High (Grades 9-12)

Bonds of Brass

by Emily Skrutskie

A young pilot risks everything to save his best friend-the man he trusts most and might even love-only to learn that his friend is secretly the heir to a brutal galactic empire. Ettian's life was shattered when the merciless Umber Empire invaded his world. He's spent seven years putting himself back together under its rule, joining an Umber military academy and becoming the best pilot in his class. Even better, he's met Gal, his exasperating and infuriatingly enticing roommate who's made the academy feel like a new home. But when dozens of classmates spring an assassination plot on Gal, a devastating secret comes to light: Gal is the heir to the Umber Empire. 

Skyjacked

by Paul Griffin

Five teenagers from the elite Hartwell Academy are on their way back to New York from an end-of-summer camping trip in Idaho when they realize that something has gone wrong; one of them has become violently ill, and their private plane has apparently been hijacked and is headed in the wrong direction. Even if they can somehow break into the cockpit and manage to overpower the hijacker, they have no idea how to fly the plane, much less land it.

Dark Shores

by Danielle L. Jensen

Told from two viewpoints, Teriana, a sea captain's daughter, and Marcus, a soldier, are compelled by Celendor's tyrranical new ruler to undertake the conquest of the West. 

The Lady Rogue

by Jenn Bennett

In 1937, teenaged Theodora Fox and her crush, Huck, set out through the Carpathian Mountains seeking her missing father and the cursed ring of Vlad the Impaler, which he was seeking.

Again, but Better

by Christine Riccio

Shane has been doing college all wrong: pre-med, stellar grades, happy parents -- sounds ideal, but Shane's made zero friends and goes home every weekend. As for romance...what's that? Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time's a ticking, and she needs a change -- there's nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She's going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure! Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart. Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic--the possibilities are endless.

Check out our Teen Book Lists for more book recommendations recently updated by our Youth Services Staff!

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

#WeKnowBooks