Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Join the Friends of the Warren Township Library

You can help support the Friends of the Warren Township Library by becoming a member. For as little as $20, you can become a Friend and help the organization in its goal to assist the library.

Donation Levels
The Friends helps fund many programs for children and adults, including musical performances and the Children's Winter Festival.

Just click on the Add to Cart button above to select your donation level or click on the application below to print and mail or drop it off at the Warren Township Library. Forms also are available at the library.

Thank you for your support!


Thursday, January 19, 2017

Explore History with Books on the Holocaust at the Warren Township Library

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, is an international memorial day on January 27 commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. Explore history with these books available at the Warren Township Library and other branches of the Somerset County Library system.

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti - In October 1942, 17-year-old Helmuth Hubener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people. (Middle School Readers)

We Are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust edited by Jacob Boas - Diary entries written by five Holocaust victims document the ordeals suffered in Nazi-occupied Lithuania, Hungary, Belgium and Holland. (High School Readers; Middle School Readers)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: A Fable by John Boyne - Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-With" in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wife fence. (High School Readers; Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Once by Morris Gleitzman - After living in a Catholic orphanage for nearly four years, a naive Jewish boy runs away and embarks on a journey across Nazi-occupied Poland to find his parents. (Middle School Readers)

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz - Based on the life of Jack Gruener, this book relates his story of survival from the Nazi occupation of Krakow, when he was 11, through a succession of concentration camps, to the final liberation of Dachau. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene - Sheltering an escaped German prisoner of war is the beginning of some shattering experiences for a 12-year-old Jewish girl in Arkansas. (Middle School Readers)

Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs - In an attempt to save his daughter's life, Eva's father sends her from Poland to a labor camp in Czechoslovakia, where she and her sister, Rachel, are forced to make blankets and uniforms for the German army. (Middle School Readers)

Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli - After being taken by German soldiers from a local movie theater along with other Italian boys including his Jewish friend, Roberto is forced to work in Germany. He escapes into the Ukrainian winter before desperately trying to make his way back home to Venice. (Middle School Readers)

Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus - In Nazi-occupied Norway, 14-year-old Espen joins the resistance movement, graduating from deliverer of illegal newspapers to courier and spy. (Middle School Readers)

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - In 1941, 15-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. (High School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow - In 1936 Berlin, 14-year-old Karl Stern, considered Jewish despite a non-religious upbringing, learns to box from the legendary Max Scheming while struggling with the realities of the Holocaust. (High School Readers; Middle School Readers)

Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman - Spiegelman, the child of Holocaust survivors and a well-known cartoonist, addresses his family's plight in the frames of a comic strip in this dark and unusual work for more mature readers. (High School Readers)

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli - Set in Nazi-occupied Poland just before the Warsaw ghetto uprising, Spinelli's first historical novel tells a tale of heartbreak, hope and survival through the eyes of a young orphan. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen - Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage until time travel places her in the middle of a small Jewish village in Nazi-occupied Poland. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel, a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors. (High School Readers;  also available as an e-book)

Check out other Suggested Reading lists here, including Teen Reads, High School books and Middle School books.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

If You Like John Green, Try These Books at Warren Township Library

If you like John Green, then high school readers will enjoy these books available at the Warren Township Library.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews - Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia. (Also available as an e-book)

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing 13 cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death. (Also available as an e-book)

Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts - The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn't be friends with her but in the hospital different rules apply. And what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a friendship neither of them sees coming. (Also available as an e-book)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - A series of letters to an unknown correspondent reveals the life of Charlie, a freshman in high school, and the uncharted world of first dates, family dramas and new friends. (Also available as an e-book)

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - Nick O'Leary meets Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart. (Also available as an e-book)

Before I Die by Jenny Downham - A terminally ill teenage girl makes and carries out a list of things to do before she dies. (Also available as an e-book)

This Star Won't Go Out: The life and Words of Esther Grace Earl by Esther Earl - A collection of journals, fiction, letters and sketches of Esther Grace Earl, a young cancer patient who passed away at 16 and was an inspiration for A Fault in Our Stars.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - When Theodore Finch and Violet Markey meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's the beginning of an unlikely relationship. (Also available as an e-book)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits - smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. (Also available as an e-book)

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider - Star athlete Ezra Faulkner's life is transformed by a tragic accident and the arrival of eccentric new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini - A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a  psychiatric hospital. (Also available as an e-book)

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder - Having spent several years in and out of hospitals for a life-threatening illness, pragmatic 16-year-old Cam is relocated by her miracle-seeking mother to a town in Maine known for its mystical healing qualities.

Other recommended authors include:
Deb Caletti
Susane Colasanti
Gayle Forman
Maureen Johnson
A.S. King
David Levithan
E. Lockhart
Matthew Quick
Jordan Sonnenblick
Sara Zarr

For more Teen Reads, visit here. Visit this page for other recommended reading lists.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Fantasy Books Available at the Warren Township Library

Visit new and amazing worlds with these fantasy novels available at the Warren Township Library and other branches of the Somerset County Library System.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - When her supernatural powers manifest, Mare, a thief in a world divided between commoners and superhuman, is forced to assume the role of lost princess before risking everything to help a growing rebellion. (High School Readers; also available as an e-book)

White Cat by Holly Black - When Cassel Sharpe discovers that his older brothers have used him to carry out their criminal schemes and then stole his memories, he figures out a way to turn their evil machinations against them. (High School Readers)

School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainini - Best friends Sophie (princess wannabe) and Agatha (witchy loner) are headed to the School for Good and Evil, but their assumed destinies are reversed. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher - In a devastated world where ancient relics possess advanced powers, Master Galen and his 16-ear-old apprentice, Raffia, enter the ruined city of Tasceron seeking a relic that could save the world while evading the Watch. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

The Ruins of Gorian by John Flanagan - When 15-year-old Will is rejected by battle school, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove - In 1891, in a world transformed by 1799's Great Disruption, 13-year-old Sophia Tims and her friend Theo go in search of Sophia's uncle, Shadrack Elli, Boston's foremost cartologer, who has been kidnapped. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals. (High School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - After she served a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier  for her crimes, Crown Prince Dorian offers 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien her freedom on the condition that she acts as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. (High School Readers; also available as an e-book)

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen - In the country of Cathy, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war. (Middle School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - A horrific family tragedy sends 16-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of an old orphanage that was home to children who were more than just peculiar, but possibly dangerous - and who may still be alive. (High School Readers; also available as an e-book)

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir - When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire's greatest military academy in exchange for the assistance of rebel Scholars in saving him from execution. (High School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - 17-year-old Karou carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters - the chimaerae who form the only family she has ever known. (High School Readers; also available as an e-book)

Other recommended authors:
Leigh Bardugo
Kristin Cashore
Cinda Williams Chima
Cassandra Clare
Neil Gaiman
Robin McKinley
Garth Nix
Tamora Pierce
Terry Pratchett
Patricia C. Wrede

For more book suggestions, check out Middle School Reader books and High School Reader books. 

Friday, November 4, 2016

GLBT Books Available at the Library

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender books are available at the Warren Township Library and at other branches of the Somerset County Library System.

I Am J by Cris Beam - J, who feels like a boy mistakenly born as a girl, runs away from his best friend who has rejected him and the parents he thinks do not understand him when he finally decides that it is time to be who he really is. (High School Reader)

Fat Angie by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo - Angie overeats to cope wth the taunts of the ultra-mean girls, her attempted suicide in front of a packed gym, and the status of her captured war-hero sister, until KC Romance comes to town and sees Angie for who she really is. (High School Reader; also available as an e-book)

This Book is Gay by James Dawson - Offers basic information about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience. (High School Reader; also available as an e-book)

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan - Having never developed romantic feelings before her junior year in high school, Persian-American Leila forges deeper bonds with supportive classmates after confiding in them her newfound attachment to a girl. (High School Reader)

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle - An eighth-grader who dreams of performing in Broadway musical concocts a plan to run away to New York and audition for the role of Elliot in the musical version of "E.T." (Middle School Reader; also available as an e-book)

Totally Joe by James Howe - As a school assignment, a 13-year-old boy writes an alphabiography - life from A to Z - and explores issues of friendship, family, school and the challenges of being a gay teenager. (Middle School Reader)

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King - Imagining that she is sending love to passengers in airplanes flying overhead, Astrid Jones, a teen from a small town torn by gossip and narrow-mindedness, struggles with her family's dysfunction and hides her love for another girl. (High School Reader)

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin - An honest look at the lives, loves and struggles of transgender teens. (High School Reader; also available as an e-book)

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan - A chorus of men who died of AIDS observes and yearns to help a cross-section of today's gay teens who navigate new love, long-term relationships, coming out, self-acceptance, and more in a society that has changed in many ways. (High School Reader; also available as an e-book)

Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowitz - Two best friends attempt to break into the high school prom so that one of them can confess his love for the adorable bass player of the prom band. (Middle School Reader)

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson - A story of first love and family loss follows the estrangement between daredevil Jude and her loner twin brother, Noah, as a result of a mysterious event that is brought to light by a beautiful, broken boy and a new mentor. (High School Reader; also available as an e-book)

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters - When her girlfriend dies suddenly at age 17, Colorado teenager Alix struggles with grief as painful secrets are revealed. (High School Reader)

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky - Hiding the truth about her awareness that she is a girl trapped inside a male body, Grayson finds new strength to embrace her true identity from an unexpected friendship and a supportive teacher.(Middle School Reader)

Tomboy by Liz Prince - Eschewing female stereotypes throughout her early years and failing to gain acceptance on the boys' baseball team, Liz learns to embrace her own views on gender as she comes of age, in an anecdotal graphic novel memoir. (High School Reader)

Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez - When Lance begins to date Sergio, who's bisexual, he's not sure that it'll work out, and when his best friend Allie, who has a boyfriend, meets Sergio's lesbian friend, she has unexpected feelings which she struggles to understand. (High School Reader)

For more book recommendations, please visit here.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Halloween Books for Readers of All Ages

Get into the "spirit" of Halloween with some great books with this list from the Warren Township Library. These books are available in the Somerset County Library System.


For Younger Kids(Perfect for little ones; elementary school kids also will enjoy these)
Skeleton for Dinner by Margery Cuyler
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
Bone Soup by Cambria Evans
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
Fright Club by Ethan Long
Frankenstein a Monstrous Parody by Rick Walton
Peanut Butter and Brains by Joe McGeeHalloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson
Welcome to Monster Town (Christy Ottaviano Books) by Ryan Heshka
Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks
Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara
AlphaOops: H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis
Porkenstein by Kathryn LaskyThe Monstore by Tara Lazar
Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis
Fright Night Flight by Laura Krauss Melmed
Goodnight Goon and Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex
Vunce Upon a Time by J. Otto Seibold & Siobhan Vivian
Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy E. Shaw
One Hallooween Night by Mark Teague
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
Whooo's Haunting the Teeny Tiny Ghost? by Kay Winters
Two Little Witches: A Halloween Counting Story by Harriet Ziefert

School-Age Kids
Ghosthunters and The Totally Moldy Baroness! by Cornelia Funke (Ages 6-9) (part of a series)
Bunnicula the Vampire Bunny by James Howe
Bed, Bats, & Beyond (Darby Creek Exceptional Titles) by Joan Holub
Magic Tree House #42: A Good Night for Ghosts (A Stepping Stone Book) by Mary Pope Osborne (ages 6-9) (part of a series)
This Book Is Haunted (An I Can Read Book, Level 1) by Joanne Rocklin
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, retold by Jane Mason
Cinderella Skeleton by San Souci (Gr 3-7)

Young AdultThe World's Most Haunted Places: From The Secret Files of Ghostvillage.com by Jeff Belanger
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney (Book One of the Last Apprentice series)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
The Enemy Charlie Higson (Book One of the Enemy series)
The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan PoeThe Intruders by E.E. Richardson
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Alvin Schwartz
More scary stories for Stormy Nights by Scott Ingram (Gr 4-6)
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Nightwood by Patricia Windsor
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (Graphic Novels, various titles)
Get into the crafty spirit of Halloween with these books:
Spooky Things (Making Pictures) by Penny King
Crafts to Make in the Fall by Kathy Ross
Halloween Fun for Everyone by Ferida Wolff and Dolores Kozielski
Ralph Masiello's Halloween Drawing Book by Ralph Masiello

Adults can get their Halloween fix with truly spooky stories and haunting fiction. For Day of the Dead books, please go here.

Día de los Muertos Children's Books at Warren Township Library

These picture books can all be shared with kids in preparation for el Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), celebrated at the beginning of November. They are available at the Warren Township Library and other branches of the Somerset County Library System.


The Dead Family Diaz
by P.J. Bracegirdle; illustrated by Poly Bernatene

The elevator from the Land of the Dead is rising fast, and little skeleton Angelito is nervous. It's his first time joining has family on their annual trip to the Land of the Living for el Día de los Muertos, and though Angelito knows it's meant to be a festive occasion, he's freaked out at the thought of squishy, bulgy-eyed live people. Once they arrive, however, he spots a boy with a skeleton face just like his…or so it seems. Saturated colors and a cartoony style keep the mood light in this charming tale of understanding, friendship, and celebration.
 
Clatter Bash! A Day of the Dead Celebration
by Richard Keep

It's a starry night in autumn, and the spirits of the dead get ready to party. After their families leave them marigolds and other gifts, the spirits emerge in the form of skeletons, and the quiet evening is transformed into a lively bash complete with music, dancing, food, and games. The story doesn't provide many facts about el Día de los Muertos (there's an afterword for that), but the punchy rhymes (in Spanish and English) and colorful collage art create an upbeat tone that's just right for little listeners. Those looking for a spookier, Halloween-themed story about skeletons may appreciate Robert Heibreder's Black and Bittern Was Night.
The Remembering Day
by Pat Mora; illustrated by Robert Casilla

In this soothing bilingual picture book, beloved storyteller Pat Mora weaves an imagined origin story for Día de los Muertos that will resonate with children and adults alike. In a long-ago village in the country now called Mexico, a girl named Bella shares a close relationship with her grandmother, Mamá Alma.  Mamá Alma knows that her body can't live forever, and so she asks Bella to plan a special day that will honor her (and other loved ones) after she's gone. Though it will have special meaning for readers who have lost a loved one, anyone can enjoy the gentle warmth of The Remembering Day.
Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book
by Yuyi Morales

Skeleton-man Señor Calavera is excited about attending Grandma Beetle's birthday party, but just as he's setting out on his bicycle, Zelmiro the Ghost appears, reminding him that he needs a present, one that Grandma Beetle "would love the most." Señor Calavera begins an alphabetical search for precious gifts, with each one introducing readers to a new Spanish word. But are his A-to-Y gifts really what Grandma would love the most, or has the best been saved for last? Featuring whimsical illustrations in brilliant, riotous colors, Just in Case won the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for its celebration of Latino culture.
Día de los Muertos
by Roseanne Thong; illustrated by Carles Ballesteros

Joy and remembrance are in the air as a village prepares for el Día de los Muertos: from lovingly curated memorial altars to tasty pan de muertos all the way to an exciting costume parade, there's so much to do and see! Spanish words are folded into the English text of this inviting story, which also boasts readaloud-friendly rhymes and a backdrop of cheery, chunky illustrations, making Día de los Muertos "a jovial primer" for newcomers and "a fiesta for those who already partake" (School Library Journal). Fans of this author's style should also see her earlier titles, Green is a Chile Pepper and Round is a Tortilla.