Ferndale Public Library Staff Recommends: Picks for Young Readers, 'Note-Taking Parents'

This article was written by Jeff Milo and Jordan Wright.

Welcome to another round of Patch Picks.

This week, Ferndale Public Library Youth Services Assistant Jordan Wright will provide young readers (or perhaps note-taking parents) with recommendations from the shelves of the Kid’s Corner.

Wright’s all too ready to talk books with interested patrons this week, as we lead up to our "Rock for Books" benefit concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at The Loving Touch, where Jordan (and this writer) will co-host four bands, a stand-up/spoken-word artist and even a magician, for a celebratory (and musical) fundraiser toward building up the Ferndale Public Library's collection development funds (set to be cut, unavoidably, for our 2014 budget). Cover is $5. Rock for Books will feature Audionics, Old Empire, Caveman Woodman and Due North.

Once you’re done chatting with Jordan about what your little one should read next, perhaps you can ask him about his favorite guitarists or his thoughts on the early '80s post-punk styles. Jordan plays guitar in Due North and you can see/hear him perform with his band this Saturday. 

Jordan’s Picks

An unlikely hero (the best kind!), Matthias the orphan mouse was raised within the walls of Redwall Abbey. The woodland creatures who make Redwall their home are adamantly pacifistic and do their best to help, heal and feed their forest neighbors. When the abbey is attacked by the sea rat Cluny the Scourge and his army of rats, weasels and ferrets, Matthias and his friends rise to the occasion to defeat the invading army. Though being the antagonist, the evil warlord Cluny is actually my favorite character in the book – not because of his better traits, but because the author has painted the most perfect picture of pure evil that I've ever encountered.  Brian Jacques' eloquent prose is perfect for those readers who aren't feeling challenged by the chapter books they're reading and with a number of other books in the series, Redwall is sure to keep them busy!

Beautiful illustrations and simple but informative text makes this one of my favorite biographies for children. Perfect for reading aloud, Jane initially doesn't see the chimps, allowing an opportunity for children to point them out while they're hiding in the trees! The book emphasizes the importance of respecting animals and their natural world, and also introduces basic tenets of primatology and anthropology. Perfect for young children who are interested in nature and wildlife.

This book is August's Tween the Pages book club pick! Theodore Boone is the child of two lawyers and has an understanding of the law that is well beyond his years (he's 13). Many of his classmates come to him for legal advice whether it's for their parent's bankruptcy or getting their pooch off the hook in animal court. There's been a highly publicized murder in town, and Theodore stumbles across a witness who has information that could change the outcome of the case. Great for middle school students who are interested in learning more about our legal system, Grisham is able to explain relatively complex legal proceedings in a way that anyone can understand. Readers are sure to close this book with a much more thorough understanding of the law than when they opened it (oh, and the story's great, too!).

I first read the Hobbit when I was in sixth grade. The book opened my eyes to an entirely new world of fantasy and to Tolkien's later works, The Lord of the Rings series, which could keep even the most voracious young reader busy for a few months. Aside from being (in my opinion) one of the greatest adventure stories of all time, the text is beautifully descriptive and contains a vocabulary that will challenge young readers. The book is sprinkled throughout with original poetry/lyrics, and also introduces readers to the challenge of riddles. Originally published in the 1950s, The Hobbit quickly became a classic that has entertained generations of readers for more than 60 years. With the upcoming release of the second and third movie of this series, there couldn't be a better time to pick up this classic!