- Children's Room
- Saturday, April 25, 2020
iRead features the best ebooks and eaudiobooks for children and teens curated by the Children's Room and Teen Center staff.
This time, our staff shares some powerful stories where guys take the lead.
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
available as an eaudiobook through Overdrive
Kekla Magoon, Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author, is back with the story about an anything but ordinary summer for two rural Indiana boys.
Caleb and Bobby Gene Franklin assume their summer will be just like any other—boring. That is, until they meet Styx Malone while wandering just past the boundaries of their home in Indiana. Styx is sixteen, mysterious, and doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. So when the two boys decide to go along with Styx’s plan to pull off the Great Escalator Trade, dreams of riches abound. But what is Styx hiding? And can he really be trusted? This book is joyful, mysterious, and poignant, and just right for middle-grade readers.
Winner of the 2019 Coretta Scott King Honor Award
Recommended by Caitlin Bockman | Children's Room Associate
Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
available as an ebook through Overdrive
Rex Ogle has tried all the tricks so none of his friends or classmates will notice. He whispers. He points. He even tries to be the last kid in line, but someone always hears him say, “Free Lunch.” Flushed with embarrassment, he sits at his lunch table alone. His friends from fifth grade have all joined the football team and no longer allow Rex to sit at their table. Rex can’t afford to play sports. Sometimes his parents cannot afford to buy food. Hunger --for both food and affection-- consumes Rex as he makes his way through his first year of Middle School.
Rex carries a heavy weight on an empty stomach. His chaotic life and abusive parents make it hard for him to keep trying. His sweet abuela and his passion to learn keep Rex on a steady path to conquer life’s most difficult obstacles.
Recommended by Emily Johansson | Children's Room Reading Specialist
The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall
available as an ebook through Overdrive
After his father’s death, Arthur has trouble coping with his grief and anger. One fateful day, he lashes out at the neighborhood Junk Man, throwing a brick and seriously injuring him. Arthur figures that he will be sent to juvie as punishment, but the Junk Man, Mr. James Hampton, intervenes. Now Arthur must serve out his probation collecting junk. He doesn’t understand Mr. Hampton at first or his strange list of items, also known as the seven most important things. In time, Arthur redeems himself through his work, makes friends and discovers that the junk is being used to create an incredible piece of art. All is well until tragedy threatens to destroy everything Mr. Hampton worked for and all of the progress Arthur has made.
Based on Outsider Artist and SC Native, James Hampton.
A thought-provoking, heartfelt read for 4th Grade and Up
Recommended by Heather McCue | Children's Room Librarian
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
available as an ebook and eaudiobook through Overdrive
As 12 year-old Jerome lies on the ground face down, all he can feel is the burn on his back and his own self staring down at him. He is dead. Another victim of a white cop. Not being able to move on, he has to see his family suffer and fall apart right before him without being able to do anything. Why?
Why is he still here? Why can't he move on?
Who is this boy with hollow eyes following him?
And why is the cop's daughter the only one that can see him?
This book shows perspectives from both sides. How prejudice can lead to mistakes and how those mistakes can affect those around you. It is heartbreaking, haunting but also healing.
Reviewed by Zuleyka Zayas | Children's Room Associate
Download and start reading (or listening to) these great titles today.
All you need is your Richland Library card, a laptop or mobile device and Wi-Fi access.
If you don't have a Richland Library card, apply online and start accessing all of our online resources immediately.
A friendly reminder, Wi-Fi remains active at our library locations - with the exception of Richland Library Sandhills (763 Fashion Drive). If customers are seeking high-speed internet or broadband services, they can access it from the parking lots of 12 library locations.