FDL Reads: Part of Your Nightmare
Part of Your Nightmare (Disney Chills, Book 1) by Vera Strange 
Reviewed by: Chelsea Bunton, Youth Services Assistant
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Suggested Age: Late elementary/Middle School (Grades 3-6)
What is the book about? Shelly has recently started attending a new middle school. At first, she has a hard time making friends, but eventually finds a place with some of the most popular girls on her swim team. Shelly’s family owns an aquarium and she loves all things marine and ocean- but unfortunately, her new friends do not. On a field trip to the aquarium, the popular girls peer pressure her into an act she would normally never commit (littering in the ocean?!?), which sets Shelly on a distressing journey involving sea witches, wishes, and scales. Things start to get spooky in Triton Bay as Shelly battles with the weirdness happening to her- is it all real, or just a nightmare? She will have to decide if having popularity is worth losing her humanity and dragging down others with her. Be careful what you wish for because you could end up a poor unfortunate soul!
My Review: I’m a lover of all things Disney, so I was very excited to start this series! This book was an easy read, and had fun connections to the original movie. The “creep” factor wasn’t too scary and the darkness involved was a slow burn that assisted the pace of the story. The characters were very true to their age group- from their motivations to their speech. The setting was a great connection to the original film as well as it allowed for plenty of interaction with marine life and the villain herself. I think what I found most interesting in this book was the ending. With a young, middle grade novel I usually expect a straight-forward finale, but that was not to be found here! The reader will have to draw their own conclusions about Shelly’s fate. Each book in this series follows a different main character and original Disney villain, so I think we can expect more of the same when it comes to uncertain destinies.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Fishy, cautionary, ominous
Give This a Try if You Like…Disney movies, Goosebumps books/movies, The Witches by Roald Dahl
Rating: 3/5
School Supply Drive July 1-31
Help East Peoria’s kids start the school year off right, and supply them for success! The library’s annual school supply drive is back! The library is collecting new, unused school supplies from July 1 to 31 to distribute to District 85 and 86 schools. Requested items include:
#2 pencils
pens (red, blue, and black)
pink erasers
Expo markers
Sharpies
highlighters
Elmer’s glue and glue sticks
Crayola crayons (24 count)
Crayola washable markers
Crayola watercolors
colored pencils
spiral notebooks
composition notebooks
wide-lined paper
folders
3 ring binders
scissors
rulers
index cards
book bags
paper towels
Kleenex
Ziploc sandwich bags and gallon bags
Clorox wipes
A box for donated supplies is located inside the Youth Services department. Your donations are greatly appreciated!
FDL Reads: Robert E. Lee and Me
Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning With the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule
Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist
Genre: American History (Civil War), Memoir
Suggested Age: Adult, Teen
What is the book about? The myth of the “Lost Cause” is an interpretation of the events before, during, and after the Civil War that portrays the South in the best possible light. It claims slavery was benign or beneficial to those enslaved. It glorifies Robert E. Lee to a point beyond hero-worship, almost as if he was god-like. Belief in it facilitated reconciliation between whites from the North and South during the 19th and 20th centuries, at the cost of racial equity and civil rights. The author, a career military officer in the Army as well as a historian, explains how, as an adult, he came to terms with his own indoctrination into these racist ideas by examining his upbringing in Virginia and throughout the South.
My Review: I listened to the audiobook read by the author and thought it was an impressively-researched dissection of the myth of the “Lost Cause.” Seidule is clear-eyed and forthright about the fact that his old belief system was racist and how the Southern culture that he was raised in fostered and nurtured these beliefs into his adulthood. His detailed exploration into things like the cause of the Civil War, Confederate monuments, Gone With the Wind, Confederate flags, military fort names, and beyond is a compelling demystification of the Confederacy and of Robert E. Lee.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Introspective, Compelling, Well-Researched
Give This a Try if You Like…How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History Slavery Across America by Clint Smith, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DeAngelo, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Rating: 5/5
#FDL: Movie Review-A Man Called Otto
A Man Called Otto
Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Reference Assistant
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Movie About? Otto Anderson is a 63-year-old widower and after losing his wife and losing his job, he is on the bitter edge of desperation and loneliness. There is a trigger warning in this move: Otto attempts suicide multiple times. His attempts are thwarted by fate and friends and even though he thinks he’s joining his wife, his time on earth is still very much valued. A young family moves into his homeowner’s subdivision and they don’t have many resources or knowledge about things often taken for granted. For instance, the wife, Marisal, does not have a driver’s license, nor does she know how to drive. The husband isn’t particularly great at driving either and when he breaks his leg, the family is essentially grounded unless they get help from their disgruntled neighbor, Otto. As time passes, we get introduced to Otto’s old friends who have hit hard times and are being pressured to move into a nursing home. With the help of Otto, the new neighbors’ youthful vigor, and some other whimsical characters, Otto is able to save his friends’ home and keep the community together.
My Review: I must say, I found this film pretty incredible. Held up against Tom Hanks’ other serious dramas, I would probably classify this movie as one of his greatest. The movie toggles between Otto’s current life as a retired widower, and his youth, someone who was unable to serve in the armed forces during Vietnam, but very capable of finding the love of his life. Another intriguing point of interest is that young Otto is played by Tom Hanks’ son, Truman Hanks. The two actors very convincingly portray a man obsessed with solving problems and someone who cannot be easily silenced, especially with his gruff demeanor. A Man Called Otto is a beautiful film about grief, age, loneliness, and new beginnings. As I stated earlier, there is a trigger warning as Otto attempts to reunite with his passed-wife several times throughout the movie. With each attempt, however, there is a plot-point that emerges and forces Otto to confront the outside world, no matter how irritating it might be for him. What he finds are new reasons to carry on and to live his fullest life. This movie will really tug on the heart strings, but you’ll laugh as much as you cry. I give it five big stars!
Three Words that Describe this Book: comedy, drama, dramady
Give This A Try if You Like… The Weather Man, The Royal Tenenbaums, A Man Called Ove, Birdman, A Serious Man, Lost in Translation, Little Miss Sunshine
Rating: 5/5
FDL Reads: Murder in an Irish Village
Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, library volunteer
Genre: Mystery
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens (15+)
What is the book about?: Less than a year before the tale begins, the parents of Siobhán O’Sullivan and her five siblings were killed in a horrible car wreck caused by a drunk driver. The small town of Kilbane, Ireland, gathered round the O’Sullivans to support them through the tragedy. The driver who caused the accident, Billy Murphy, is in jail. Billy’s brother, Niall, was thought to have moved to Dublin until one fateful day when Siobhán encountered Niall in a local shop. Niall, in a rather threatening tone, hits Siobhán up for 10,000 Euros, saying that his brother is innocent and that he, Niall, has information about the real perpetrator of the crime. Later that day, Niall appears in the O’Sullivan family bistro, where he is decidedly not welcome. At the bistro, Niall argues with Siobhán’s older brother, James, who is close to celebrating six months of sobriety. The next morning, Niall is found stabbed to death in the bistro. James was out all night – drinking – and has no memory of the night. Customers from the local pub remember another heated argument between James and Niall, and soon James is arrested for the murder. Siobhán must rescue her brother and prove his innocence by finding the true killer.
My Review: Author Carlene O’Connor makes the characters and setting come alive in this cozy mystery, the first in O’Connor’s Irish Village Mystery Series. Characters are real, sympathetic and friendly – just the sort of folks you’d like to sit down and have a pint with at your local pub. The ancient walled (fictional) town of Kilbane is the beautifully described setting for the mystery. As a reader I happily walked and ran with “O’Sullivan Six” and their community of friends through the streets of this interesting village. It’s a satisfying read that will leave you feeling as if you’ve found friends and a home away from home. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Warm, charming, engaging
Give This a Try if You Like…Cozy mysteries such as Sheila Connolly’s County Cork Mystery Series or Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity mystery series
Rating: 5/5
Tree Planting: 2023 Community Project
We need your help for this summer’s community project! The Fon du Lac Park District will match the library’s $500 pledge to go towards planting beautiful tulip poplar trees at Neumann Park for everyone to enjoy – but only if all of our summer readers help us hit our goal of 500,000 minutes!
That’s a lot of reading, but we’re positive that our voracious readers will be up to the task. Tulip poplars are the official tree of East Peoria and are actually closely related to the magnolia tree, but are called tulip trees because of their greenish yellow and orange flowers. So register for summer reading and track your reading June 1 – July 31 to help us plant new trees in the community! Plus, everyone who completes the summer reading program will be able to add a leaf to the tree bulletin board in the Youth Services department!