State Library of Kansas
06/18/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/18/2021 08:50
Father's Day
Each year on the third Sunday of June, we celebrate our fathers (or father figures) and all they contribute to our lives. In honor of all the fathers out there, we've selected books that showcase some great fathers and father-child relationships. Check one, or more, out today.
Amanda Diggs, Production Manager/Readers' Advisor
DB 48972 A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace, and her neighbor Calvin are transported to the planet Camazotz as they search for Meg's lost father, a scientist studying time travel. Prequel to A Wind in the Door (DB 41596, BR 7884). Newbery Medal. For grades 5-8.
DB 57559 Cry, the beloved country by Alan Paton
The classic story of Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo's search for his delinquent son, Absalom, in 1940s Johannesburg, South Africa. Kumalo's experiences are set against a background of a land and people who struggle not only with overwhelming racial injustice but also with disintegration of their tribal culture and traditional family bonds. 1948.
DB 77672 To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
Six-year-old Scout and her brother Jem are intrigued by their reclusive neighbor. Meanwhile, their father Atticus, an attorney, defends a black man charged with raping a white woman in their small Alabama town. Some violence and some strong language. Pulitzer Prize. For junior and senior high and older readers. 1960.
Michael Lang, Director
DB 63649 The road by Cormac McCarthy
A father and his young son journey south after the destruction of the civilized world. Their survival kit consists of a few blankets, a pistol, a cart of scavenged food, and their love for each other. Their values are tested by occasional encounters with other desperate survivors. Bestseller. 2006.
DB 88242 Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
Author of Motherland, Fatherland, Homelandsexuals (DB 79898) reflects on growing up with a father who became a Catholic priest after already having married and started a family. Discusses the contrasts of her parents' everyday and spiritual lives and her own conflicted relationship with the Church. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
DBC05142 Wide open by Larry Bjornson
Abilene, 1871. Will Merritt is fiercely protective of the cattle trade that made his father's fortune. Idolizing cowboys, Will and his friends are drawn to Abilene's exotic Texastown district--a powder keg of saloons and brothels so notorious that the mayor has hired Wild Bill Hickok to police it. Still, Abilene boils with deep divisions between cattlemen and farmers. Then Will's father reveals a secret that challenges Abilene's future and makes the Merritts outcasts. Award winner. Contains some strong language and some violence.
Dylan Calhoon, Patron Services Manager/Readers' Advisor
DB 93047 The Marches: a borderland journey between England and Scotland by Rory Stewart
Author of The Places in Between (DB 62788) explores his family's connections to Scotland and England. Recounts the four-hundred-mile walk he took through the two countries with his eighty-nine-year-old father. Describes the places they visit and people they meet and reflects on their experiences. Commercial audiobook. 2016.
Aaron Heil, Library Assistant/Readers' Advisor
DB 57553 Me and my dad: a baseball memoir by Paul O'Neill
Autobiography by former New York Yankee Paul O'Neill saluting his late father, Charles 'Chick' O'Neill, as childhood idol, lifelong teacher, coach, and best friend. The Ohio native recalls his family, career, and bond with his father, who viewed baseball as 'a way of life, a set of rules and philosophies, challenges and opportunities.' 2003.
Maggie Witte, Outreach Librarian/Lead Readers' Advisor
DB 89990 The story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Grieving widower Arthur eats lunch in the cemetery every day, to be near his wife's grave. There he meets troubled teenage Maddy, and the pair form a friendship that helps them both out of their isolation. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
DB 80537 Frontier magic, books 1-3 by Patricia C. Wrede
Trilogy written between 2009 and 2012 includes Thirteenth Child, Across the Great Barrier, and The Far West. In Thirteenth Child, eighteen-year-old Eff must get over believing she is bad luck and accept her extraordinary powers to combat magical creatures that threaten frontier settlements. For senior high and older readers. 2012.
After a brush with the law, Ben, a dyed-in-the-wool worrier, must take up a new hobby as a condition of probation and chooses knitting. Amazed and conflicted by his own skill, Ben strives to keep his talent a secret. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2015.
P.S. Don't forget to let the father figure in your life know how much you appreciate him and all he does.