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TAILS & TALES 

C.H. BOOTH LIBRARY’S SUMMER READING PROGRAM

June 14--August 20


How it Works

  • Register for an account. You can make accounts for yourself and your family.

  • Log in to your account and record your reading. See your age group below for more information regarding logging and prizes.

  • Visit us at the library for reading recommendations, and see our Event Calendar for more summer fun for the whole family. 


Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who can participate?

The whole family! We have a program for children, young adults, and adults. 


  • Can I count books that I read on my computer or e-reader?

Of course!


  • Can I count audiobooks?

You bet! 


  • Can I join the program before or after its official start date?  

Yes! You can register now and start recording your reading on the official start date (June 14th). Log your reading until August 20 for children, young adults, and adults.


  • What should I read?

Stop by the library to ask us for recommendations, view our book lists online, or follow us on social media, where we will post book recommendations all summer long. 


Facebook / Instagram / YA Instagram / Children’s Instagram


KIDS 

Ages 4 to Grade 5

Stop by the children’s department to pick up your summer reading kit. Each kit which includes  tickets for our prize raffle to be held on August 21.  All tickets must be received by August 20 to be eligible.



YOUNG ADULTS

Grades 6 to 12


Log your time spent reading to win points. Each week, participants will have the opportunity to use their reading points for the chance to win gift cards for local businesses and other fun stuff!


The summer’s top readers will have a chance to win a Kindle Fire tablet.


ADULTS


For every book review you submit, you will be entered into the Friday morning gift card raffle as well as the end-of-the-summer raffle of your choice.

All Participants
Points Earned

Book Reviews
Search All Book Reviews
Razorblade Tears
by S. A. Cosby
View in Library Catalog
book cover


"I...I don't know. I mean he was my son. Our son. But what he was doing was wrong. I have to believe that. Because if I don't, then everything I did was a mistake." Never thought I could sympathize with a book set around a whole lot of racist and homophobic people, but dang. This book is brutal and tender, face-paced and beautiful. Set in Virginia, we follow Buddy Lee and Ike, two fathers who have just gone through the unimaginable - their married sons were killed in broad daylight, for reasons unknown. Both fathers are struggling with not only the grief of losing their child, but the knowledge that they will never be able to repair the broken relationship between them that formed when they were unable to accept the fact that their children were gay. When the police mark the case as inactive, the men realize that the only chance they have of putting things right is by using their criminal past to their advantage, and going after whoever put their boys in the ground. You could feel the grief all the characters were feeling, and the action scenes were really well done. This book is as violent as it is beautiful, and I really hope they do wind up making it into a movie - I think it has the chance to be an amazing adaptation.
The Croc Who Rocked
by Laura Casella
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Fun book with onomanopeia (though I am awful at spelling that). The storyline was fun, the characters were clever, and the sounds the animals would make was really inventive. It could be a fun series book at some point. Love the illustrations.
The Divines
by Ellie Eaton
View in Library Catalog
book cover


This was okay. Josephine has just gotten married. As a child, she was known as a "Divine" - she went to a very expensive school for entitled rich people, where the children were taught nothing academic and mostly just how to treat people they considered beneath them poorly. She hasn't thought about her years there much since she left, but when her husband starts asking questions about the box of mementos she's kept, she's forced to relive her past and confront some of the darker moments within - especially the tragic tale of her roommate, Gerry. The mystery part takes a bit to develop, and really isn't the focus of the story? It seems more like the struggle of a young girl to find her place in the world, and to deal with the pressure to conform to what her friends and family want her to be. The chapters alternated between her years at the school and her adult life, and I honestly didn't really care about her as an adult. Those chapters didn't really add anything to my experience. By the end I was left with this vague feeling like I'd missed something important, but I'm not sure what? This was the sort of book that seemed like my jam, because I love a good boarding school mystery, but something about it fell flat and I just didn't adore it like I expected to.
Sick Kids In Love
by Hannah Moskowitz
View in Library Catalog
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I have been waiting to read this book! So glad that it taught me the dangers and advantages of being sick with a disease.
The Miniaturist
by Jessie Burton
View in Library Catalog
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This is a kind of mystical story set in Amsterdam. It is number one so I assume that we are going to meet the Miniaturist in future books. The story revolves around Petronella who is from the countryside and marries a rich Dutch merchant and moves into his home in Amsterdam. As a wedding gift he gives her a model of their home and she contacts the Miniaturist whom she never actually meets, to make items to go into it. What follows is an intriguing tale of the whole family and their relationships which somehow the Miniaturist seems to mysteriously know much more about than anyone else. It is rather a sad story and has quite a twist at the end.
The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I loved this book - juicy, edge-of-your-seat thriller was what I wanted and it delivered! I was nervous that I maybe wouldn't be able to sleep or something afterwards but it did not have that effect - just good, clean who-done-it. So happy I read it!
Sea Dragons
by Meister cari
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I learned what color eggs were. The dad's carry the eggs and in 3-6 week weeks they hatch. Very good book!
Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir
View in Library Catalog
book cover


On one hand, I thought Project Hail Mary was completely unrealistic - the plot is beyond far-fetched, the supporting characters are flat and underdeveloped and the narrator sometimes sounds like an immature teenage boy. But I gave it 4 stars because I really liked this book. It was different and the story caught my attention. There's a LOT of science, much of which I confess I didn't follow, but overall it adds to the feel of the story. For me, this book was a surprise success.
March Book 1
by John Lewis
View in Library Catalog
book cover


March (Book 1) is a great read for all ages. I recommend not rushing through this novel, but taking the time to thoroughly analyze the graphics drawn by Nate Powell in order to gain a deeper understanding of the Civil Rights struggle. I appreciated learning about John Lewis' childhood and experiences in the South, to better understand how they impacted his future activism. Especially interesting was the conflict WITHIN the movement between the older activists who were more willing to compromise, such as MLK Jr and Thurgood Marshall, and the younger activists who wanted full justice without negotiation, such as John Lewis and Diane Nash of SNCC. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next books in the trilogy.
Of Women And Salt
by Gabriela Garcia
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I usually love a good historical fiction read, but this one never caught my attention like others I have read. Took a while to get into this book. It was hard to follow for me. I liked that the theme was very relevant to the times we are living in.
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