Brave Books Saga 3 - IN Montgomery County Libraries!
Brave Books Saga 3 - IN Montgomery County Libraries!
A huge thank you to our donors Commissioner Robert Walker and Commissioner Matt Gray! Also, get your summer reading library tips and information about a Sky Tree Book Fair event coming to our area!!
SAGA 3 IS HERE!!
Authors such as Kevin Sorbo who writes about masculinity in The Test of Lionhood, and JP Sears whose book called Chomp Chomp Chomp, The Snapfast Challenge is about standing up for what is right, are now in four of our libraries, just in time for summer reading. Commissioner Robert Walker and Commissioner Matt Gray each donated two sets of saga 3. Thank you both for your generous donations. Montgomery County families love these books! I will drop their emails below so you can email them a thank you note.
The four libraries where these books can be physically found are, Central Library in Conroe, Stewart West Branch Library in Montgomery, Tullis Library in New Caney, and Meador Library in Willis. Let’s face it though, they will all be gone by the end of the week, so your best bet will be to place a hold!
The following books are included in Saga 3 and each book is linked to the catalog for easy access to place a hold:
The Parrots Go Bananas!
by Sean Spicer
From the publisher: Join Bonnie, Bongo, and Asher as they are excited to join the Smack-A-Ball game in Mushroom Village, but not everyone is so thrilled. Follow along as the animals learn about jumping to conclusions, and explore the topic with your family through the BRAVE Challenge at the end of the book.
Joining the Amazing Club Awesome Sauce
by Sara Carter
From the publisher: Sara Carter's book Joining The Amazing Club Awesome Sauce, is a fun story written for kids ages 4-12, is a rhyming picture book about Ana, a young pup who dreams of being just like Rebel, a hero of Freedom Island—who surely doesn’t have to follow rules. But Ana’s father Kenny shares a story of his childhood that changes her mind. In this story, Kenny, Rebel, and their friend Calvin discover how rules keep their magnificent tree house, Club Awesome Sauce, safe and special.
Hidden Headlines: A Seymour Clues Mystery
by John Solomon
From the publisher: Join Seymour Clues as he solves the mystery of who blocked the tubes around Starlotte City, keeping the Hamster Headlines newspaper from reaching its citizens. Along the way discover the importance of honesty, integrity, free speech, and the evils of intolerance and censorship.
Pride Comes Before the Fall
by Kirk Cameron
This book is also located in the South Regional Library Branch in The Woodlands.
From the publisher: Follow Valor as his pride puts him and his teammate in danger. Valor then realizes that some things are far more important than winning. Learn about humility through the story, and then complete the Brave Challenge at the back of the book with your family to instill this Biblical value in your home!
A Town Worth Defending
by David Harris Jr.
From the publisher: A raccoon named Rowdy reaches the end of his rope when he tries to defend Dirt Creek from a posse of possums. But, as Rowdy and the rest of Dirt Creek lose their will to protect their town, Team BRAVE jumps in to help them out. Join Rowdy, Valor, and Eva as they defend Dirt Creek and learn about patriotism with your family by completing the BRAVE Challenge at the end of the book.
The Treasure of Cabal Island
by Michael Franzese
From the publisher: A children's book that teaches kids about the dangers of greed. Michael Franzese is most known for being a crime boss for the Colombo crime family in the 1980s. With his release from prison in 1994, Franzese left the mob and turned his life around by coming to Christ. He has become an actor, a successful Youtuber with over 1 million subscribers, and a motivational speaker.
The Test of Lionhood
by Kevin Sorbo
From the publisher: Follow along as Lucas's sister, Chloe, gets poisoned by the night-scorch thorns. It's all up to Lucas to save the day. Many obstacles stand in his path, but when a legendary lion shows up, Lucas's world changes. Join Lucas as he learns what it means to be a real lion through lessons like bravery and perseverance. Then, complete the BRAVE Challenge at the end of the book.
Chomp Chomp Chomp - The Snapfast Challenge
by JP Sears
From the publisher: A Christian children's book that teaches about the dangers of giving in to peer pressure.
The Fox, the Fair, and the Invention Scare
by Kirk Cameron
From the publisher: Follow a young Asher the Fox, as he learns to be kind and even help his enemy Stewart the Giraffe win the Hive Haven Invention Fair.
Too Much Tubular!
by Trail Life
From the publisher: Follow team BRAVE, as they learn about the importance of moderation while saving Freedom Island from all of the animals that have become obsessed with Tubular photos.
Please send our wonderful donors thank you emails!!!
Commissioner Matt Gray - contactp4@mctx.org
Commissioner Robert Walker - commissioner.pct1@mctx.org
In addition to the BRAVE Books, we also have an additional set of Tuttle Twins Books making 5 sets in our libraries. These books are also very popular and can be found in the children’s fiction chapter books section under Boyack (Connor Boyack). With summer reading beginning this week, all these books will likely need to be placed on hold since so many books will be gone.
If you would like to purchase BRAVE Books for your home you can find them at:
www.BraveBooks.com
Use promocode LifeFirst for an additional 25% off. Thank you to our friends at www.lifefirst.org
If you would like to purchase Tuttle Twins books or DVDs for your home, you can find them at:
www.TuttleTwins.com
Summer Reading Kickoff Parties!!
Most of our libraries are hosting summer reading kick off parties this week. Find your local events here. Whether you make it to the party or not, you can sign up for the library summer reading program at any location this week or you can sign up online:
Welcome to Montgomery County Memorial Library, TX (countylibrary.org)
Ways to Use the Library This Summer
Last year I wrote a comprehensive article about ways our family uses the library system. I include websites for reading lists and lists of Christian and conservative books we have in our libraries. You can find this information here:
Extended Checkouts
I recently learned that our libraries are now offering extended checkouts. You can request a 4 or even 6 week check out; perfect if you are taking some books on a trip with you.
At home, I have an outbox I use for when my kids are done with their library books so I can pop them back into the book drop when I run errands. This way they will become available more quickly for those waiting for them. I’m not always good about it, but I try. Our libraries are stretched thin during the summertime and returning books early can be a great help.
Safety Update
As you probably know, the gender books were removed from the shelves during the primaries a few months ago. Several people have thanked me for making the libraries safe, and while I really appreciate that, I want to make sure you know that this does not mean that we can relax. While I was assured that none of the books would go back into the children’s section, this has not been the case. The milder books on the list have been placed back on the shelves. I believe there are about 5 or 6 at this point. The rest have either been placed in the parenting section for parents to pick up for their child, or they are sitting in Tech Services awaiting a decision. Therefore, I am dropping my safety recommendations here for you. Each parent must decide what measure of safety they need to lay out for their kids.
Depending on the level of scaffolding you place for your children’s reading selections, your child may run into this topic independently at some point. Teaching your children about what is happening in the world and your beliefs about gender will help them face this challenging topic with a level head. A book called, God Made Boys and Girls : helping children understand the gift of gender by Marty Machowski was placed in our libraries, so that parents in our county could have access to this resource to talk to our kids. (Thank you to Commissioner Walker for making this possible.) Please preread the book first and decide how you would like to tackle this topic. This book is located in the over 18 parenting section of the Montgomery, Conroe, and Willis libraries.
Check your books against my most recent list:
Check the book’s catalog description. Often the card catalog (accessed at countylibrary.org) has subject terms that will immediately tip you off about possibly concerning content.
Look at the book on Goodreads.com. You can search key terms like “non-binary” or “trans” in the reviews, and you can look for subject tags.
Read the entire book. Not all parents are going to have time for this, but this is the safest way to be sure your child isn’t coming across anything you might be concerned about.
Use book lists from trusted sources. If you look at the above linked post called Using Our Libraries, you will find resources from parents like you who have already read the books. Some of these resources are free, and some are offered by subscription.
Find Christian books from publishers and bookstore websites, and place those on hold. Two Christian book series recently placed in the libraries last year are The Dreamkeeper Saga by Kathryn Butler and The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson.
Place books on hold that you have already vetted. If you are concerned about browsing the library, this may be especially a concern in the young adult section, you can place books on hold and pick them up at the front desk.
Sky Tree Book Fairs comes to The Woodlands!
Finally, Sky Tree Book Fairs will be hosting a book fair and Donuts with Dads on the Saturday before Father’s Day at Hebrew’s Coffee. Sky Tree Book Fairs vets all their books meticulously, so you don’t have to! This is a perfect event to fend of summer boredom.
Details are as follows:
