Library Happenings

Henning School

“Home of the Brave” written by Katherine Applegate is this week’s featured book. 

Katherine Applegate is not an author living in Minnesota, she lives in California, but writes this beautiful story of a young boy who shares a love for both his home of Africa and his new home of Minnesota. This book is an easy read, written in verse form with short chapters that keep the reader interested.

Kek and his mother are the only ones in his family to have survived. His mother is now missing and Kek has been sent to a new place to live. In America, snow appears for the first time in his life and he wonders if the people of his new home will be unkind and cold like the snow. Kek makes friends with another foster child who lives with an old lady on a shabby farm with a sad cow and all this together reminds Kek of his home.  Kek holds strong through the tough Minnesota weather as he waits for his news about his mother. He finds solace in his memories, his new friends, and his new country.  

We live Minnesota life every day yet it is wonderful to hear other people’s take on the life we live here in this beautiful land. We hope you’ll find yourself coming up to the Henning Public Library to check this book out.  

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.