GRAB A BOOKMARK

Grab a

Welcome the beginning of the chilly season with a good book! Here are two recommendations for your January reading list, courtesy of the librarians at Geneva Public Library.

 FOR YOUR KIDS OR GRANDKIDS: “Starfish” by Lisa Fipps Since jumping in the pool wearing a whale swimsuit at her fifth birthday party, Ellie has gained the mean nickname “Splash.” Now Ellie lives by what she calls “the Fat Girl Rules” — she hides away, moves slowly and avoids eating in public, all to keep from being judged by others. It seems like all anyone sees is her weight. She’s tried every diet ever created, and she swims every day, but people still tell her she needs to eat less and exercise more. The worst bullying comes from her own mom and siblings. As a new school year begins, her best friend is moving away, and her parents are making her go to a therapist. Ellie predicts disaster. But with the help of her dad, a new friend next door and the therapist, Ellie’s self-image begins to change. She’s learning how to be a starfish: spread out wide and proudly taking up space. “Starfish” by Lisa Fipps is a novel in verse that showcases the painful realities of fat shaming, and cheers on readers who have ever felt judged or harassed for their body or any other aspect of their identity. This is an uplifting and inspirational read for grades 3-8.

— Kylie Peters, librarian

 FOR OUR READERS: “Five Days Gone” by Laura Cumming If you enjoy a good mystery, and true crime, along with genealogy and family history, then “Five Days Gone” by Laura Cumming will keep you turning the pages to find out how this incredible story ends. One daughter’s tenacious search for her mother’s history becomes an amazing blend of memoir and history. It begins in fall 1929, when a 3-year-old girl was kidnapped from a beach in Lincolnshire, England. There was no scream; she just disappeared. When she was found five days later in a nearby village, she was happy and healthy. But why had the kidnappers taken her? And why had she so willingly gone with them? Half a century later, partly remembered memories sparked by old photos begin to unravel this long-buried family story. It’s a personal narrative unlike anything you’ve ever heard and written with a unique intimacy filled with the balance between longing for truth and wondering what havoc the truth will make. Ultimately, this story is one of healing, restoration and identity. — Rebekah Noggle, librarian