With the start of April, it’s time to look forward to chocolate, jellybeans, and other tasty treats! By that we mean that it’s already Easter month– it’s only 12 days away!
The Traverse Area District Library won’t be open to officially celebrate the holiday, but we’re still very excited for it! So excited that we wanted to take a quick dive into some fun facts about the holiday.
Did you know that…
…the Easter Bunny didn’t originate from the United States?
The first mentions of the Easter Bunny actually trace back to pre-Christian Germany, where hares symbolized the Pagan goddess of Spring!
…painting Easter eggs started off as a Ukrainian tradition?
Now it’s one of our most colorful Springtime customs, so thank you Ukraine!
(Easter eggs have also been historically dyed with onion skins in parts of Eastern and Central Europe, giving them a gorgeous and natural look. Here’s a blog that shows how!)
…over 500 million Cadbury Creme Eggs are produced every year?
Yes, you read that right. If you piled them on top of each other they would be 10x the height of Mount Everest– that’s a lot of eggs!
Now you know!
Other than Easter, we’re sure the top thing on most readers’ minds is the latest book in the Hunger Games– the long-awaited story of Haymitch’s hunger games, Sunrise on the Reaping! With its rave reviews, we can’t keep our copies on the shelves!
We can however offer read-alikes that are a similar fit to the Hunger Games series. For fans who are looking for more dystopias to dive into, consider these great options!
Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
In a world where it’s always winter, the only place of warmth is the Snowglobe, a climate-controlled dome that broadcasts the lives of its residents as reality tv for those living outside its walls. Most consider Snowglobe to be a dream come true, so Chobahm is delighted when she hears she’s been selected to replace one of Snowglobe’s top stars. But Chobahm soon learns that the reality of Snowglobe is a lot deadlier than it appears…
Read this if you love the televised reality tv element of the Hunger Games!
The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
In the world of the Metro, the act of selling one’s memories is highly illegal. Liv is a Proxy who uses a neurochip in her brain to do just that, selling happy memories to the highest bidders; Adrian is a forceman who is sent to track her down and bring Liv to justice. The only problem? Liv lost her memories and has no recollection of her previous actions. That leaves Adrian to grapple with a heavy question– can he really condemn her for crimes she doesn’t remember?
Read this if you’re craving engrossing mental dilemmas and enemies-to-lovers set on a dystopian backdrop!
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
In Dani’s world, distinguished young women only play one of two roles for their future husbands: the intelligent Primeras who run his household or the emotional Segundas who raise his children. When she becomes the top student at the Medio School for Girls, Dani knows she will live the life she worked so hard to create for herself. But her carefully crafted plan starts falling to pieces when she is asked to spy for a resistance group trying to bring equality to Medio… and begins falling for her rival Carmen in the process.
Read if you want a dystopia with Latinx representation, flawed patriarchies, and a sapphic twist!
Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson
Jamal is an aspiring journalist who plans on documenting a rally to protest police brutality. But before it can really begin, the city implements a concerning new ‘safety’ protocol– the dome, which completely surrounds the city and forces those inside it into a militarized shutdown. With only a few allies, can Jamal help stop the city’s corruption?
Read if you’re looking for an intense and realistic dystopia with Black Lives Matter at its core!
Divergent by Veronica Roth
In this classic staple of the dystopian genre, society is divided into five factions: Candor the honest, Amity the peaceful, Abnegation the selfless, Erudite the intelligent, and Dauntless the brave. Every sixteen year old must choose a faction to spend the rest of their lives in. But Beatrice doesn’t feel like she fits into just one group– she’s divergent. And if not hidden, being divergent might just be a death sentence.
Read if you’re looking for a classic, powerful dystopia about transformation and self discovery!