Reading List: Authors with June Birthdays

It’s hard to believe that this year is halfway over as we bring you the next installment in our Author Birthday Read Aloud series. If you haven’t been following along, now is a great time to join us as we feature authors born in the month of June. You can check out the library’s Instagram to find all the readings we have done.

Rick Riordan was born on June 5^th, 1964. Micah read the chapter titles from The Lightning Thief, which is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, because he remembered how much they made him laugh. Do you ever notice unique and/or funny chapter titles?

June 7^th features a double celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks (1917) and Nikki Giovanni (1943). These women are both African American poets with Brooks being highly regarded as the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize. Selected Poems features poems from three of Brooks’ earlier works. Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day is described as one of Giovanni’s more personal collections. Grand Mothers: Poems, Reminiscences, and Short Stories About the Keepers of Our Traditions is a collection that both women worked on.

Andy Weir was born on June 16^th, 1972. Darius read a portion of Project Hail Mary. This was previously one of our book club selections. If you’re interested in reading a review of the book, visit this blog.  There you will also see some references to The Martian. Even if you haven’t read the book, you might have the seen the 2015 film adaptation starring Matt Damon.

Chris Van Allsburg was born on June 18^th, 1949. Jumanji and The Polar Express are two of his more well-known titles. These books share some things in common because Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated them both, and they’ve both been made into film. If you had to choose between having a board game come to life or riding a magical train to the North Pole, which would you choose?

Markus Zusak was born on June 23^rd, 1975.  If you’re someone that likes historical fiction and being reminded about the power of stories, I recommend reading The Book Thief, which takes place during WWII and follows a young girl named Liesel.

Eric Carle was born on June 25^th, 1929. Amber read a portion of The Secret Birthday Message.  Have you ever left someone clues to help them find a gift? My (Rachel) grandfather used to do this for us. Solving the clues and going on the hunt almost made it feel like another gift. Once you’ve read that, you should check out some of his other classics like The Mixed-Up Chameleon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, or The Tiny Seed.

I hope you enjoyed our focus on authors born in the month of June!

March Book Madness 2022 Winner

This March, the Union Library ran its inaugural March Book Madness: The READ to the Final Four. The competition began with sixteen competitors, each of which we introduced to you in February.

Then, during the month of March, library patrons were invited to vote on the weekly matchups via the library’s Instagram page. An up-to-date printout of the results was also available on display on the first floor of the library.

After a long READ to the Final Four, the championship was claimed by the classic children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, defeating Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund by 19 votes in the final round. First published in 1969, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been voraciously devoured by millions of readers over the years, winning several awards for children’s literature and graphic design and selling nearly 50 million copies to date.

Take a look at the final March Book Madness 2022 bracket below, and be sure to tune in again next March!

March Book Madness 2022: Week 3

Union University’s Library at the Logos welcomes you to this presentation of March Book Madness! On Fridays in February, you will be introduced to the books competing in March Book Madness in 2022. Each week will feature our selection from two different genres. By the end, you will have been introduced to 8 genres and 16 books. Then, during the month of March, stay tuned to our social media channels to vote on your favorites. You, our readers, will determine which book will make it through the Final Four to become our first March Book Madness Champion! 

Rachel: 8 books down. 8 to go. Rachel here again, and I’m joined by Amber. Are you ready to meet our next group? Each year, the American Library Association, ALA for short, presents awards for the best books for youth and young children. There are several awards, but we will feature a Newbery and a Pura Belpre. The Newbery winner is often viewed as the top choice of children’s literature for each year. The Pura Belpre winner is a book written by a Latino/Latina and speaks to experiences in Latino culture. Amber, why don’t you tell us about our Award-Winning Book Match-up. 

Amber: We’re going old school versus new school in this Award-Winning Book Match-Up. Our old school book, Number the Stars, was the Newbery Award winner from 1990. Our new school book is The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, the Pura Belpre Award winner in 2021.  

Both books are underdog stories, but Number the Stars might pull at your heart strings a bit more. In this book, Lois Lowry tells the story of Annemarie who must help protect her Jewish best friend, Ellen. Annemarie and her family helped protect Danish Jews from the Nazis and escape to Sweden. This is a story of courage, friendship, family, and standing up for what’s right. 

Rachel: I remember reading this as a child, it was a great book. Tell us about the new school book. 

Amber: The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez is an underdog story of a different kind. Nestor Lopez and his mother have moved to Texas to live with his grandmother while his father is deployed. Nestor is the new kid and on top of that he can speak to animals. His ability to talk to animals may come in handy as scary things are happening in the woods of his new town. Can Nestor and his friends protect the town? This book is about courage, friendship, family, and learning to accept yourself. 

Rachel: Wow, that sounds like another great book. Number the Stars has been on shelves for over 30 years, does this give it an advantage over the newbie The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez?  

Amber: I think time will be on Number the Stars side, but only time will tell. Rachel, why don’t you tell us about the next match-up of the week? 

Rachel: The second match-up features two beloved picture books. Picture books are easy readers where the text is part of the story, but the illustrations are what makes the difference.  

Amber: I love picture books. I think they will do well in March Book Madness this year. Which two books do we get to vote on? 

Rachel: The Very Hungry Caterpillar is up first. You follow the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats through a varied and large quantity of food. Once full, he forms a cocoon around himself and sleeps. Then, something amazing happens. This is a story of transformation and being careful not to eat too much.  

Amber: I remember this book. The pages get wider as the caterpillar eats his way through the book. Which book is it facing off against? 

Rachel: Next, we have The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. There are two sides to every story, and in this book, the wolf gets to tell his side of what really happened between him and the three pigs. He may not be as big and bad as we were originally led to believe.  

Amber: Oh, another great one. My copy was definitely worn from being read so often. Which picture book do you think will win out? 

Rachel: I think the humor in The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs will seal the win. Now, we’re headed down to the final stretch. Hope you’re still with us as we meet our final competitors next week.