Library Happenings

Henning School

Our featured book this week is “The Broken Blade” by William Durbin. Mr. Durbin lives near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Wilderness. He has been the winner of the Minnesota Book award two times and a winner of the Great Lakes Book Award. 

The back cover of the book jacket reads “Durbin’s first novel is an impressive coming-of-age tale set in Montreal at the dawn of the 19th century. When Pierre’s father severely cuts himself while doing one of the boy’s chores, the guilt ridden 13 year old leaves school and enlists as a voyageur for the North West Company. Voyageurs freighted goods hundreds of miles from Montreal to Grand Portage. As one of the paddlers in his brigade’s canoes, Pierre, who knows his family will not last the winter without his wages, paddles 14-16 hours a day, with few breaks. The teasing and name-calling of the crustier voyageurs is unrelenting, but appropriate for this salty, rough, and feisty bunch. Readers will embrace this unusual journey and its path to true bravery, strength of character, and self reliance.” 

This book is a quick read that will keep you highly interested. This is historical fiction at a fast moving pace.

We hope you will want to check this book out when we return to normal library hours during the school year this fall.

The State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society has awarded the Henning Public School Library a grant in the amount of $9,325. This grant will provide over 449 books to the Henning Public School Library.

This  grant helps provide a quality learning experience for our local Minnesotans by providing exemplary library bound (as much as possible) books that feature depictions of various aspects of the State of Minnesota. Students will develop knowledge, skills, and understanding about many areas of Minnesota by reading about Minnesota, its geography, heritage, culture, people, landforms, arts, sports, and more. Books will be purchased for all ages of people who frequent the library. This grant will help represent diverse ethnicities and people as we are purchasing books that feature a wide variety of people who have contributed to Minnesota.  

In addition, because Minnesota history is a vital component of our middle school curriculum, we want a strong selection of books that depict Minnesota history, industries, contemporary Minnesotans, immigration, the contributions of indigenous people, Minnesota authors/illustrators, and state bird/fish/foods, etc.