Grab a April showers bring May flowers … and lots of time for reading. Happy spring! Here are two recommendations for your April
reading list, courtesy of the y. librarians at Geneva Public Librar
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FOR YOUR KIDS OR GRANDKIDS: “The AstroNuts” by Jon Scieszka
FOR OUR READERS: “Beauty Queens” by Libba Bray
The “AstroNuts” series by Jon Scieszka is full of funny, action-packed books with brightly colored, crazy illustrations that will appeal to kids in grades 3-5. This series is perfect for readers who enjoy graphic novels and science, and the books will teach them a lot about space, life and the environment, too! The AstroNuts are four mutant animal astronauts named AlphaWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug. Each one has a unique talent, and also a special mission: Since we can no longer live on Earth, they have to find a new home for us. In the first book, they visit the Plant Planet; the only thing that lives there are plants! Could humans live on a planet covered in plants? The AstroNuts will find out! In the second book, they visit a water planet to see if we can live on a planet entirely covered in water. Each book in the series offers a new adventure that will keep the most reluctant reader turning the pages to find out what happens next. And, there’s a bonus at the end of the books: Scieszka includes how-todraw pages to help further engage readers and inspire creativity. — Lexy Jones, librarian
If you enjoy dark and absurd humor, check out “Beauty Queens” by Libba Bray. Nothing stops the Miss Teen Dream Beauty Pageant contestants — not even a plane crash on a somewhat deserted island. Surely, the 50 teen girls will be saved quickly. What should they do in the meantime? Keep perfecting their pageant walks? Or, focus on survival? These girls have created glossy, glittery versions of themselves that are ideal for the pageant stage, but what happens when a survivalist situation intervenes and brings out a hefty helping of truth? Each contestant has something to hide, and one contestant has plans to bring down the whole pageant. Amid a backdrop of handsome reality TV pirates, backhanded deals made by the corporate sponsor and limited resources (including makeup), nothing can stop these girls. (Not even the tray that got stuck in Miss New Mexico’s forehead during the crash. Bangs are the new black, after all!) Discover how these beauty queens figure out how to survive the island — and each other. This satire, influenced by reality TV, current beauty standards and corporate sponsorships, keeps the laughs coming! For a change of pace, listen to the audio version read by the author; it’s hilarious. — Meredith Anderson, librarian
FAMILY IN FOCUS APRIL 2021
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