FCPL Reading Challenge 2021

Happy New Year, fellow readers! As 2020 comes to a close, we can look back and say that it's been a strange and challenging year. While we know so many of our patrons have experienced hardships, we continue to be grateful for the opportunity to help each of you find enjoyment in reading. 

Thank You for Reading More in 2020

In January 2020, we challenged ourselves to read beyond our comfort zones. Our staff renewed its efforts to discover new books, new authors, and new stories to share with our patrons as we took on a new reading challenge each month.

All together, we discovered and shared over 250 books from classics to new releases, from fantasy to nonfiction, from audiobooks to graphic novels. A full list of Staff Reading Challenge 2020 books is available in our online catalog.

As we talked about these newly discovered books with our patrons, many of you decided to read along with us. We enjoyed hearing about the books you loved, the books that challenged your thinking, and the books that helped you learn something new.

Crush Your 2021 Reading Goals with Your Library

We loved talking books with our patrons so much that we're opening the next FCPL Reading Challenge to everyone!

Each month we'll post a new reading theme here on the Bookmarked blog, Facebook, and Instagram encouraging our staff and patrons to read from a specific genre or topic. 

Throughout the month, we'll post photos and reviews of the books we're reading and you can join the discussion by commenting in the threads posted on our social media channels.

Reading Challenge for January 2021

January's Reading Challenge is to reread a childhood favorite. If you're having trouble choosing a favorite book from your childhood, you could read a children's book published within the last five years instead.

Leave a comment on this blog, or comment in the FCPL Reading Challenge 2021 threads on Facebook and Instagram, to share what you're reading for this month's challenge.

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any of our Reading Challenges in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

Thanks for reading along with us this year!

January 2021 Reading Challenge: The Trumpet of the Swan

Almost 50 years ago my grandparents gave me a set of E. B. White’s three classic books for children.  I loved Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web, but my favorite was The Trumpet of the Swan, the story of Louis, a trumpeter swan. Born without the ability to make sound on his own, which hampers his ability to communicate with other swans, he learns how to play a trumpet and how to read and write.

I haven’t read another book with such a deep affection for nature, for music, and for language. It describes the natural beauty of a pond in Canada, it celebrates musicians and composers such as Beethoven, Gershwin, and Louis Armstrong, and it encourages readers to look up wonderful new words, such as “crepuscular.”

My grandfather wrote the following inscription: “This book, written by a master wordsmith, will bring you much joy—share it—for that is what joy is for.”  Rereading The Trumpet of the Swan as part of the FCPL Reading Challenge brought me much joy, again, and I hope that rereading a childhood favorite also brings each of you joy.

Stephen Kight
Deputy Director

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Crush Your 2021 Reading Goals with Your Library

January's Reading Challenge is to reread a childhood favorite. If you're having trouble choosing a favorite book from your childhood, you could read a children's book published within the last five years instead.

Comment on this post or in the FCPL Reading Challenge 2021 threads on Facebook and Instagram to share what you're reading for this month's challenge.

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any of our Reading Challenges in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

Thanks for reading along with us!

FCPL Reading Challenge: February 2021

Crush your reading goals this year with your library! Follow along each month as we read books from a specific genre or theme, then share your own reading recommendations with us.

February Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read from the page to the screen: read a book that has been made into a movie or a television series. 

You can choose a book intended for young readers, such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (available in print and DVD), or a book intended for adults, such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (available in print and DVD).

Whatever you read, be sure to leave a comment on this blog, or comment in the FCPL Reading Challenge 2021 threads on Facebook and Instagram, to share what you're reading for this month's challenge.

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any of our Reading Challenges in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

January Reading Recap

We had such fun re-reading children's books and learning about your childhood favorites. Here are some highlights:

• When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamison and Omar Mohamed
• The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
• Short & Skinny by Mark Tatulli
• The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

Thanks for reading with us!

June 2021 Reading Challenge - Kids' Book Spotlight - Easy Collection

Did you know you can complete more than one reading challenge this summer? 

FCPL's June Reading Challenge is to "Read a Book By or About Someone with a Similar Background to Your Own". 

The Read Your World challenges include a diverse range of characters! Reading diverse books allows readers of all ages to see themselves in a story. If these challenges are not about a background similar to yours, that's ok! Next month's Reading Challenge is to read about someone with a different background from yours! 

Here are some diverse books from our Easy and Early Reader collections to get you started!

Picture Books

Read a Book Featuring a Character on the Autism Spectrum

It Was Supposed to Be Sunny 

by Samantha Cotterill

Laila's birthday party, perfectly planned with her autism in mind, goes awry due to a change in weather and an accident with her cake, but with the help of her mom and her service dog, Laila knows she can handle this.

Read a Book about Poverty or Homelessness

Lubna and Pebble

by Wendy Meddour

Lubna's best friend is a pebble. Pebble always listens to her stories. Pebble always smiles when she feels scared. But when a lost little boy arrives in the World of Tents, Lubna realizes that he needs Pebble even more than she does.

Read a Book by a Latin American Author

Mango, Abuela, and Me

by Meg Medina 

Mia's Abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that Abuela can't read the words inside. So while they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English ("Dough. Masa"), and Mia learns some Spanish too, but it's still hard for Abuela to learn the words she needs to tell Mia all her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better.

Early Readers

Read a Book by a South Asian Author

Yasmin the Superhero

by Saadia Faruqi

Yasmin gathers a cape and mask and sets out to find a villain to defeat with her "super powers"-- however there are no villains hiding on her block, just neighbors who need a little help.

Read an Award Winner Featuring a Diverse Character

Ty's Travels: Zip, Zoom!

by Kelly Starling Lyons

Ty cannot wait to ride his new scooter, but when he has a hard time learning and wants to quit, a new friend encourages him to give it another try.

(ALA Notable Children's Books- 2021)

Read a Book by a Black Author

I Love Being Me!

by Mechal Renee Roe

Illustrations and rhyming text reveal all of the things girls love about themselves, from their nose, toes, and skin to their ability to spin, run, and cook.

And don't forget Summer Reading Fun! You can count these books towards your reading goal as well!

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks

FCPL Reading Challenge - December 2021

December Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our patrons and staff to read a book from your "To Be Read" pile or give a book you didn't like a second chance.

We'd love to hear about the books you chose! Still catching up on previous challenges? We want to hear about those books too! 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or @ us on Twitter!

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

November Reading Recap

We challenged our staff and our patrons to read award winners or nominees.

Here are a few of the books we read:

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune 
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow
• A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. Don't forget to check back soon for the 2022 Reading Challenge themes!

FCPL Reading Challenge: May 2021

Summer is almost here and we're a little envious of all these kids getting out of school. So, this month's challenge is designed to take us all back to our youth.

May Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read a book from the decade in which you were born or read a book from the decade when you started high school.

We'd love to hear about your experience reading from these two pivotal times in your life. What did you read? 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram.

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

April Reading Recap

We read poetry and plays in honor of National Poetry Month. Here are a few highlights:

• Poetree by Shauna Reynolds
• Cast Away: Poems for Our Time by Naomi Shihab Nye
• The White Book by Han Kang

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. You're doing great!

FCPL Reading Challenge: April 2021

April is National Poetry Month and we're encouraging our patrons to experience this form of literature. 

If your last poetry experience was in one of your old high school English classes, you might be surprised to know that so much about poetry has changed! Even the idea of what constitutes a poem has changed, so you might find something more inspiring and more memorable when you read poetry from this fresh perspective.

April Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read poetry or read a play.

Did you discover that you enjoy some forms of poetry? Or that you really like the extra details you get from reading a play you've seen on the stage?

We'd love to hear about your experience reading poetry and plays this month! 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram.

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

March Reading Recap

We expanded our reading horizons by selecting books outside our preferred genre or format. Here are a few highlights from last month:

• Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter (Mariska Hargitay, audiobook narrator)
• The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang
• Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. You're doing great!

FCPL Reading Challenge- October 2021

October Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read books featured in an FCPL Book Club or NextReads Newsletter.

FCPL has newsletters for a variety of themes and interests! You can sign up for newsletters here as well as view past issues. Take a look at our Events Calendar for upcoming Book Club titles!

We'd love to hear about the books you chose! Still catching up on previous challenges? We want to hear about those books too! 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram. 

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

September Reading Recap

We challenged our staff and our patrons to read a biography, autobiography, or memoir. Here are some of the titles we read:

• Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
• Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
• Vincent by Barbara Stok

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. There are a few months left to take on the challenge. You're doing great!

FCPL Reading Challenge - November 2021

November Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our patrons and staff to read award winners or nominees.

You can find more award winning and nominated titles on the Award Winners lists on the Adult Recommended Reads page on our website.

We'd love to hear about the books you chose! Still catching up on previous challenges? We want to hear about those books too! 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or @ us on Twitter!

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

October Reading Recap

We challenged our staff and our patrons to read books featured in an FCPL Book Club or NextReads Newsletter.

Here are a few of the books we read:

• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
• The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
• Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. There are a few months left to take on the challenge. You're doing great!

February 2021 Reading Challenge- Kids' Book Spotlight- Early Reader and Picture Books

Even our youngest readers can join FCPL's 2021 Reading Challenge! Complete February's challenge by checking out these great books that were made into television shows or movies. 

Early Readers

Leaf It to Dot

by Randi Zuckerberg

Dad joins Dot and Hal outdoors while they work to earn their Rangeroo scavenger hunt badges and to not let technology distract them from nature.

The animated series, Dot., premiered in 2016 featuring the main character in this Early Reader series and can be found on Hulu.

Martha Speaks: Thief of Hearts

by Karen Barss

Martha, a dog who has the ability to speak, helps her family discover some missing art supplies so that the valentines can be finished.

The animated series, Martha Speaks, aired on PBS from 2008-2014 and can be found on PBS Kids and can be found in our Juvenile DVD collection.

Curious George: Librarian for a Day

by Julie Tibbott

Curious George helps out in the library and learns that organizing books makes them easier to find.

The animated series, Curious George, aired on PBS from 2006-2015 and can be found on PBS Kids. The are also animated movies, Curious George (2006) and Curious George 2 (2009).

Picture Books

Llama, Llama Red Pajama

by Anna Dewdney

At bedtime, a little llama worries after his mother puts him to bed and goes downstairs.

The animated series, Llama Llama, aired from 2018-2019 and can be found on Netflix.

Max & Ruby: Babysitting Squad

by Rosemary Wells

Ruby and Louise create their own Babysitting Squad business, but watching their first client, Percy Wardropper, proves to be a challenge.

The animated series, Max and Ruby, aired from 2002-2019 and can be found on Nick Jr.

Hair Love

by Matthew A. Cherry

A little girl's daddy steps in to help her arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.

This book and the Oscar-Winning animated short film, Hair Love, were both released in 2019. An animated series, Young Love, is also in production for HBO Max. 

If you need help selecting a book for any of our Reading Challenges in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks

FCPL Reading Challenge: July 2021

July Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read a book by or about someone with a different background from your own.

We'd love to hear about the books you chose and how they resonated with you! Still catching up on previous challenges? We want to hear about those books too! 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram. 

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

June Reading Recap

We read books by or about someone with a similar background to our own. 

• Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
• Running by Natalia Sylvester
• Worse Than Weird by Jody J. Little

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. You're doing great!

FCPL Reading Challenge - September 2021

September Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read a biography, autobiography, or memoir. 

We'd love to hear about the books you chose! Still catching up on previous challenges? We want to hear about those books too! 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram. 

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

August Reading Recap

We read books from an FCPL Booklist.  

• You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann (Notable Book Translations bookmark)
• This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger (Adult Adventure Booklist)
• Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (Adult Fantasy Booklist)

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. You're doing great!

FCPL Reading Challenge: August 2021

 August Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read a book from an FCPL booklist. 

Our booklists are created by staff with recommendations in a variety of themes. You can access the booklists on our website at the following links. You can find additional recommendations for adults on bookmarks available at all of our libraries. 

Kids

Teens

Adults

We'd love to hear about the books you chose! Still catching up on previous challenges? We want to hear about those books too! 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram. 

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

July Reading Recap

We read books by or about someone with a different background from our own. 

• The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
• You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin 
• The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. You're doing great!

FCPL Reading Challenge: June 2021

June Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read a book by or about someone with a similar background to your own.

We'd love to hear about the books you chose and how they resonated with you!

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram.

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

May Reading Recap

We read books from the decade we were born or graduated high school. Here are a few highlights:

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia
• The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. You're doing great!

February 2021 Reading Challenge- Kids' Book Spotlight- Teen Books

Even our youngest readers can join FCPL's 2021 Reading Challenge! Complete February's challenge by checking out these great books that were made into television shows or movies. 

Teen Middle (Grades 6-8)

Artemis Fowl

by Eoin Colfer

When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.

The television series, Artemis Fowl, released in 2020 and can be found on Disney+.

The Golden Compass

by Philip Pullman

Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.

The series, His Dark Materials (2019), based on this and the other books in Pullman's series can be found on HBO Max.

The Maze Runner

by James Dashner

Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

The movie, The Maze Runner (2014), can be found on Amazon Prime Video. 

Teen High (Grades 9-12)

City of Bones 

by Cassandra Clare

Suddenly able to see demons and the Shadowhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizzare world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

This series was adapted into both a movie, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) and a TV series, Shadowhunters (2016-2019), which can be found on the Freeform channel. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

by Jenny Han

Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control. What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them...all at once? Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved--five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

The movie, To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018), and the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You (2020), can be found on Netflix. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go

by Patrick Ness

Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.

The movie, Chaos Walking, based on this series will be released on March 5, 2021.

If you need help selecting a book for any of our Reading Challenges in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks

June 2021 Reading Challenge - Kids' Book Spotlight - Juvenile Collection

Did you know you can complete more than one reading challenge this summer? 

FCPL's June Reading Challenge is to "Read a Book By or About Someone with a Similar Background to Your Own". 

The Read Your World challenges include a diverse range of characters! Reading diverse books allows readers of all ages to see themselves in a story. If these challenges are not about a background similar to yours, that's ok because next month's challenge is to read about someone with a different background from yours! 

Here are some diverse books from our Juvenile collection to get you started!

Beginning Chapter Books (Grades 1-3)

Read a Book by a South Asian Author

Astrid and Apollo and the Fishing Flop

by V.T. Bidania 

Hmong-American twins Astrid and Apollo are on their very first fishing trip, but while Astrid catches three fine fish, Apollo's line keeps snagging on non-fish things, and when a summer storm brings the trip to a sudden end Apollo admits he is disappointed with the experience--until he gets a look at the funny pictures their dad has taken.

Read a Book by a Black Author

Sadiq and the Bridge Builders

by Siman Nuurali

A young Somali American and his classmates design a model city to withstand floods, using river walls, floodgates, gutters, and rain gardens.

Read a Book by a Latin American Author

13th Street: Battle of the Bad-Breath Bats

by David Bowles

Cousins Malia, Ivan, and Dante are visiting their aunt Lucy for the summer. But on their way to Gulf City's water park, they get lost on 13th Street. Only it's not a street at all. It's a strange world filled with dangerous beasts! Will the cousins find their way back to Aunt Lucy's?

Chapter Books (Grades 3-5)

Read an Award Winner Featuring a Diverse Character

The House That Lou Built

by Mae Respicio

Longing for an escape from her extended Filipino family, Lou plans to build a tiny house on land she inherited from her father, but difficulties quickly arise.

(APALA Honor Award in Children's Literature- 2019)

Read a Book Featuring a Character on the Autism Spectrum

We Could Be Heroes

by Margaret Finnegan

Fourth-graders Maisie and Hank, who has autism, become friends as they devise schemes to save a neighbor's dog, Booler, from being tied to a tree because of his epilepsy.

Read a Book about Poverty or Homelessness

Worse Than Weird

by Jody J. Little

Hoping to ditch two months of chicken coops, kale, and her parents’ antiscreen rules, Mac MacLeod sets out to win a citywide food cart scavenger hunt and the money she needs for the summer coding camp of her dreams. But Mac discovers more than just clues during her cross-city sprint—like how her weird parents might not be the worst thing compared to the circumstances of those around her.

And don't forget Summer Reading Fun! You can count these books towards your reading goal as well!

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks

February 2021 Reading Challenge- Kids' Book Spotlight- Chapter Books

Even our youngest readers can join FCPL's 2021 Reading Challenge! Complete February's challenge by checking out these great books that were made into television shows or movies. 

Beginning Chapter Books (Grades 1-3)

Magic School Bus Rides Again: Sink or Swim

by Judy Katschke

Ms. Frizzle takes the class on a trip to Hawaii, where the Magic School Bus provides them with individual submarines, and they learn about fish schools and the behavior of undersea animals--and try to avoid being eaten by a shark.

The animated television series, Magic School Bus and Magic School Bus Rides Again, can be found on Netflix and in our Juvenile DVD collection. 

King Arthur

by Stephen Krensky

Arthur and his third-grade class compete at the Middle Ages Fair against Glenbrook Academy.

The animated television series, Arthur, can be found on PBS Kids and in our Juvenile DVD collection. 

Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer

by Megan McDonald

Judy's big plans for the summer seem ruined when two of her best friends go away, and then her parents leave her and Stink with Aunt Opal, but a new "thrill-a-delic" plan has her racing toward fun.

The movie, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, was released in 2011 and can be found on Hulu and in our Juvenile DVD collection. 

Chapter Books (Grades 3-5)

Wonder

by R.J. Palacio

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

The movie, Wonder, was released in 2017 and can be found in our Juvenile DVD collection. 

Upside-Down Magic

by Sarah Mlynowski

Nory, Elliott, Andres, and Bax are just four of the students in Dunwiddle Magic School's Upside-Down Magic class. In their classroom, lessons are unconventional, students are unpredictable, and magic has a tendency to turn wonky at the worst possible moments. Because it's always amazing, the trouble a little wonky magic can cause.

The movie, Upside-Down Magic, releases on Disney+ on February 5th.

Weird but True!

by National Geographic

Offers a collection of facts about animals, food, science, pop culture, outer space, geography, and weather.

The series, Weird but True!, can be found on Disney+. Shorts can also be found on the National Geographic Kids website. 

If you need help selecting a book for any of our Reading Challenges in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks