TALES in the upper library (3rd-5th grade)

One attention-grabbing character to come on the scene is Percy Jackson, monster-battling demigod. If your child enjoys the Percy Jackson series or any of Rick Riordan’s other fantasy-mythology blending characters, chances are you’ll find lots of similar stories to gobble up in this part of the library!

Our Tales section contains folk and fairytales, myths, and legends. In addition, we’ve placed many novels based on those original tales right alongside the sources of their inspiration.

Some full-length books to try:

Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman based on Norse myths. A boy’s adventure wtih Thor, Loki and Odin to defeat the monstrous Frost Giants.

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale creates a world where a princess can converse with birds and a treacherous servant will get her just desserts.

Beauty: A Retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, by Robin McKinley. At two decades old, this is one of the earliest novelizations of a popular fairy tale to be written for older elementary students. Descriptions and dialogue and a look into the characters brings Beauty alive for readers who are looking for more depth after enjoying the Disney movie version.

The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler in which an unknown youngest sister of the “Twelve Dancing Princesses” must rely on her courage to save her siblings from enchantment.

The Golem: a version by Barbara Rogasky and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman is an engrossing and frightening tale of prejudice and liberation set in Prague.

Short versions of Tales are also located in this part of the library. Browse traditional collections or some beautifully illustrated stories for older children.

I hope you will find some new favorites for your family! ---Jennifer Still

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford

When the creepy Dr Jake Limberleg's Technological Medicine Show rides into her small town in 1913, Natalie begins to become aware that something is terribly wrong. Could there be a connection between Limberleg and the story that her mother has told her about the old bluesman, Tom, and his encounter with the devil at the crossroads? In a complex and intricate plot, Natalie has to take great risks to save her town and all the people in it. The Boneshaker is not a quick and easy read, but its spookiness will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck at times.

Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell

On the day that Isabelle begins to hear a persistent buzzing noise, she is sent to the principal's office by her teacher. While awaiting her turn, she opens a closet door and tumbles into another world: a world of children on the run from a child-eating witch. When Isabelle and a younger child meet a kind woman living alone in a cottage in the forest, Isabelle feels so comfortable and familiar: but who is the woman? Falling In is an interesting, well-written, unusual fantasy about an outsider in a strange world, with a good dose of suspense. By the author of Dovey Coe and Chicken Boy. (245 p.)