SJPL's online book club selection for April is Dubliners by James Joyce, and next month the West Valley Book Club will meet to discuss another novel that takes place in San Jose's sister city of Dublin, Ireland. Our book club will meet on Wednesday, May 9 at 6:30pm to discuss bestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy's novel Quentins. Be sure to join us for lively literary conversation!

Is it possible to tell the story of a generation and a city through the history of a restaurant? Ella Brady thinks so. She wants to film a documentary about Quentins that will capture the spirit of Dublin from the 1970s to the present day. And Quentins has a thousand stories to tell: tales of love, of betrayal, of revenge; of times when it looked ready for success and times when it seemed as if it must close in failure. But as Ella uncovers more of what has gone on at Quentins, she begins to wonder whether some secrets should be kept that way... (from Amazon)

August ( Auggie) Pullman knew he was different, but that was just how he looked.  “To me, though, I’m just me.  An ordinary kid.” (Page 306)

Auggie was born with not one, but two rare birth defects.  Because of this misalignment of his genes (or as some doctors explained it a “chromosome rearrangement” (page 105)) he did not look like other people.  Some people were frightened of him, some stared at him, while others pretended not to notice. 

All Auggie wanted was to be thought of as an ordinary kid.  He’d been homeschooled all his life, but now as he prepared to enter fifth grade his Mother decided he needed to go to school with other children.  Beecher Prep, Auggie’s new school, was a small private school within walking distance of his home.  And that’s where this story begins as Auggie learns he has been admitted to the school.  Fifth grade classes start in just a few days.

Wonder is not just Auggie’s story, though he’s the center of attention.  It’s the story of his family.  Of how they adapted to his special needs over the years and how now they try to help him adjust to school.  It’s also the story of the other fifth graders in Auggie’s classes, especially the three students who were asked to help him acclimate to Beecher Prep.  There are also teachers and the principal who must overcome their own concerns as they help students accept Auggie as just that ordinary kid. 

This first novel by R.J. Palacio has received widespread positive reviews in many library and literary publications.  An inspiration for this book comes from the lyrics to the song “Wonder” by Natalie Merchant. 

Did you follow Battle of the Bands this year? Did you vote for your favorite bands?

All the bands had an additional chance at winning a prize this year:

our teensReach members voted for the best videos and here are the winners:

First place:

Second place:

Third place:

Honorable Mention:

Let us know what you think of the videos in the comments!

The West Valley Book Club will meet on Wednesday, April 11 at 6:30pm in the Community Room to discuss No Graves As Yet: A Novel of World War I by Anne Perry. Perry is a prolific genre fiction author, but she is most well-known for her historical mystery novels. Published in 2003, No Graves as Yet is the opener for her World War I historical mystery series featuring lead protagonist Joseph Reavley, named after Perry's maternal grandfather, who was a captain in England during World War I.

On a sunny afternoon in late June, 1914, Cambridge don, Joseph Reavley is summoned from a student cricket match to learn that his parents have died in a road accident.  Joseph’s brother, Matthew, as an officer in the Intelligence Service, reveals that their father had been en route to London to turn over to him a secret document – allegedly with the power to England and damage the British Empire.  At the same time, events in Sarajevo will propel Europe, and the whole world, into war.  But there are some tragic deaths on the home front and where is this mysterious document...if it exists at all? (from anneperry.net)