LitBit Speaks

An incredible lineup of authors explore the lives and deaths of the wives of Henry VIII. A complex and in-depth examination of complicated people, each of whom has very different reasons for wanting to be queen ( or not ) and the sometimes bizarre behind-the-scenes reasons for their downfalls. Henry VIII - M.T. Anderson Katharine of Aragon - Candace Fleming Anne Boleyn - Stephanie Hemphill Jane Seymour - Lisa Ann Sandell Anna of Cleves - Jennifer Donnelly Catherine Howard - Linda Sue Park Kateryn Parr - Deborah Hopkinsons Queen Elizabeth I - M.T. Anderson This thorough collection of detailed accounts is a history-lover's dream. Each queen's voice is distinctive, exploring each woman's ascent to the precarious position of Henry's wife. Henry's obsession with a male heir fuels much of his unhappiness with each woman, but others are also working in the background for their own purposes, throwing out false accusations of infidelity, incestuous relations, an...

Picturebook Favorites [Part I] ALA (2017) Claymates  Dev Petty (Author) and Lauren Eldridge (Illustrator) Metafiction at it's finest, this hilarious picturebook features two clay creations playing around with an artist's tools, turning themselves into increasingly bizarre and silly shapes. What a bunch of trouble-makers! What will the artist think when she gets back to her studio?! (Little, Brown - 06/20/2017) Little Penguin and the Lollipop Tadgh Bentley When Little Penguin eats his friend's lollipop, he feels bad and tries to make things better, but he just can't seem to figure out what to do (even a hug doesn't work!) Funny faces and silly escapades abound as Little Penguin tries everything he can think of to make up for his bad behavior. He's certainly learned his lesson: Never take a lollipop from a seagull! (Balzer + Bray - 10/03/2017) That is My Dream Langston Hughes (Author) and Daniel Miyares (Illustrator) ...

After Mama Lacy's death, Fella was forced to move in with her grandmother, Mrs. Madison. The move brought Fella all sorts of comforts she wasn't used to at home, but it also meant saying goodbye to her sister Zoey (a.k.a. Zany) and her other mother, Mama Shannon. Though Mama Shannon fought hard to keep Fella, it was no use. Already heartbroken, Fella soon finds herself alone in Mrs. Madison's house, grieving both the death of her mother and the loss of her entire family. Then one night, Zany shows up at Mrs. Madison's house determined to fulfill Mama Lacy's dying wish: to have her ashes spread over the lawn of the last place they were all happy as a family. Of course, this means stealing Mama Lacy's ashes and driving hundreds of miles in the middle of night to Asheville, North Carolina. Their adventure takes one disastrous turn after another, but their impulsive journey helps them rediscover the bonds that truly make them sisters. This short but deep story...