Sleep Like a Baby (Aurora Teagarden #10)

 Sleep Like a Baby (Aurora Teagarden #10) by Charlaine Harris

Pages: 288

Rating: 5 out of 5

Aurora has begun her new adventure in parenting with newborn, Sophie. When Robin is out of town for an author's convention, her new found domestic tranquility is disturbed by a murder and a missing person. Should she call Robin, or can she and teenage brother Philip handle the case?

All the Little Liars (Aurora Teagarden #9)

All the Little Liars (Aurora Teagarden #9) by Charlaine Harris

Pages: 229
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Charlaine Harris returns to one of her first characters, Aurora Teagarden in this cozy mystery. Librarian, Aurora is enjoying her married life, her pregnancy and taking care of her teenage brother, Phillip, when four kids go missing from the area school. Her husband, Robin Crusoe, a bestselling writer start their own investigation to bring Phillip home.

"Sleigh Ride" by Heidi Cullinan

Opposites attract in this second book in the Minnesota Christmas series.  Gabriel Higgins is the lone librarian in small Logan, MN, but he loves his job.  He excels at it but hasn't really made any friends outside of the library.  When one of the library volunteers decides to raise money with sleigh rides in a real sleigh, Gabriel balks at the idea because she wants him to play Santa's elf to her son's Santa.  Arthur Anderson does not want his mother to play matchmaker, especially when she tells him that he'll be Santa with the lanky librarian playing his elf.  However, the library desperately needs the money, so both men relent.  As they get to know each other, Gabriel introduces Arthur, who doesn't enjoy reading, to graphic novels.  The best part of the book, in my opinion, is when Arthur's young nephew wants a doll, but the boy's mother refuses because of what others will say.  When Gabriel hears this, he decides to do a children's story time about it.  He brings his own dolls that he had as a child and explains to the children and parents that boys who have dolls will grow up to be loving fathers.  The author does a fabulous job with this part of the book; so well that it brought tears to my eyes.  It was a wonderful portrayal of the way good librarians, especially in small, isolated towns, can change children's lives.  229 pages (Kindle edition).

Librarian on the Roof! A True Story by M. G. King

A fictionalized account of RoseAleta Laurell, librarian at the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, TX. When she took over as librarian, she found a beautiful old building that didn't get much use. Especially by children, since there was very little there for them. She updated the collection, pushed for computers, and began to bring in more patrons, but needed a lot more funding for an appropriate children's section.

What to do, what to do? RoseAleta packed a tent and supplies, had herself hoisted 50 feet up to the library's roof, and announced she would stay there unil the town raised enough money for the children.

An engaging story for elementary students.  A 'ShowMe Award' nominee, 2012-2013.

32  pages.

Little Boy Lost by Eric Hobbs

Wesley Bates and his classmates take a field trip to a special library. But, this is no ordinary place! Here stories come to life if you know where and how to look. There is also the opportunity to enter into a classic children's story - but the adventurers must be careful or the plot can take unexpected twists.

In book one of The Librarian series, Wesley and friends explore The Wizard of Oz where they learn some important life lessons along the way. The target audience is later elementary or middle school students, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, too. I can see lots of fodder for book discussion groups! Should appeal to boys, girls and the young at heart. 126 pages.

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay

Lindsay Norris, director of the Briar Creek Library, turns amateur sleuth to clear the name of children's librarian, Beth Stanley in this funny, fast-paced mystery. The characters are endearing. The text is filled with references to classic and popular works. This is a cozy series I plan to keep following. Library Lovers Mystery Series, Book 1. 304 pages

Bachelor's Puzzle by Ginger Chambers

I ran across this book at a used book sale and couldn't resist. The plot involves a library director, water damage in a library, and a library building project. It also involves romance and sibling machinations. It lived up to my expectations of a light read with nothing world-changing. This is part of a series that involves an ongoing mystery, but I'm not interested enough to check out the other titles. 298 pages.