Mascot Blog

Can you still achieve the American Dream?

You don’t have a pension. Social Security and Medicare may not be there when you need them. You pay much more for housing, even adjusted for inflation, than your parents ever did.  College education prices have skyrocketed. You may have gone to a good school and you may make good money (even saved some of it), but this is not the life you imagined. You are stressed, you are too “busy,” and most days, you feel really tired.

What happened to your big dreams?

Blending his career in finance and background in politics, Jason Howell has outlined 7 financial strategies to help you reclaim your American Dream. Joy of Financial Planning shows this generation how to overcome the challenges of a highly competitive, politicized economy.  The good news is you can still make an impact on a world desperately in need of your financial success.

By Katherine R. Christoff 

Kat is an elementary school student who feels different than other girls her age. Her mother informs her that it’s not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside that matters.

Beautiful You explores how each girl is unique and strives to help readers redefine what it means to be beautiful. 


By Sue Wambolt

In the east of Kentucky is a small rural farm
with animals and gardens and quaint country charm.

The newest animal in the barn is a pig named Pete
who wants nothing more than to eat and to eat!

It started with his feed bag but then he kept going.
Every day Pete’s appetite kept growing and growing!

If he can’t stop eating, what will happen to the farm?
Could a hungry little pig really do that much harm?

By Lou Spaventa

Christopher is a young field mouse who lives in a barn with his mother, father, and sisters. He is a curious little mouse and wants to find out about the big world outside the barn. But, most of all, Christopher wants to find out what it means to be kind. He sets out on numerous adventures to figure out the meaning of kindness, meeting many a creature along the way. Follow along as Christopher explores his world to find out just what it means to be kind, and receive kindness in return.


By Kathy Guyitt

Hi kids!

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? Mom says I can be anything I want! This summer I’m going on an adventure with Mom to learn all about the world of home remodeling. Won’t you join me?

You’ll get to meet my golden retriever, Goldie and Mom’s best friend, Donna the Designer. Mom and Donna have some great ideas, but they also have to rely on Team Golden to get the job done. Who’s on Team Golden? Well, you’ll have to start our summer project to find out!

See you there!

Rita the Remodel Girl

P.S. You’ll even get your very own project assignment too!

By Deb Skog

Chomp Chomp Chomp…

Roar Roar Roar…

It’s The Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur!

It’s that time of year again! Fall means pumpkins, but for Daniel and Trevor, it means visiting the pumpkin farm. It’s a day filled with lots of fun things to do, but their favorite thing to see is the Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur! Enjoy reading about their visit and how they love watching him munch and crunch away!


By Delen P. Musielak

The babies are coming!

The babies are here!

Open this book

To join them in their first year.

By Corinne Luck

Winter is cold,

In this town, it’s not.

Happy hearts and full bellies

Fill this sweet little spot.


By Roselyn Kasmire

Ezra loves football, and his favorite team is the Buffalo Bills! He loves them so much he became Pancho Billa! Who is Pancho Billa? Open this book to find out!


by Perry James

Is new always better than old? When a brand new Zamboni arrives at an old ice rink, he’s just not impressed. He’s much too new and shiny for the worn down rink, and he’s much faster and smoother than the old Zamboni, who’s been left outside in the cold. The new Zamboni protests, only polishing the ice when he feels like it. Nobody, not even the mechanic, can make the Bad Zamboni work properly. But before long, an observant little boy with a silver helmet catches on to the Bad Zamboni’s tricks… Is the Bad Zamboni really bad? This book teaches us about empathy, kindness, and most of all, that we each have the power to change things for the better.


By Nicole Hicks and Stacie Majszak

Grandma. Nana. Gammy. Mimi. Grammy. Busia. Gigi. Yaya. There are so many names to call a grandma, but Construction Cousins call their grandma Gaga. 

The Construction Cousins, five little diggers who have a very special relationship with their grandparents, are back again! When they are getting ready for Christmas, one of the special gifts from Gaga breaks. Can the diggers find the spirit of Christmas and give something of themselves?

Join the siblings in another exciting adventure as they make up for lost time with Grandma by experiencing the best that the colorful Caribbean way of life has to offer, immersing themselves in their family’s Bahamian customs and culture along the way.

By Erica Morgan

What happens when Mrs. Chompers, the shark tooth fairy, needs a sick day? Follow Mrs. Pearly White, the human tooth fairy, as she fills in for Mrs. Chompers. Will Mrs. Pearly White be able to exchange all of the shark teeth for gifts before the sun comes up?


By A.R. Taylor

This beloved book celebrates the humorous bond between a young girl, Emileen, and her rascally dog, Jilly Bean.

Imaginative and whimsical, A.R. Taylor’s rhyming words flow, whisking lovable characters away on a series of humorous adventures. With beautiful illustrations and a sprinkle of simple Shakespearean English, this is a book grown-ups will love reading over and over to children. A great gift for any occasion, but a special standout for baby showers, birthdays, and holidays, Emileen and Jilly Bean is an unforgettable tale of friendship and unconditional love.

By Meaghan McGill

Instead of summer camp, little Charlotte gets to visit her Grandma’s house! When Charlotte finds a treasure chest, she soon realizes the world is full of possibilities. What will she and Grandma make together today?


By Andra Gillum

Poor Riley is old and sick. Her little sister Lucy tells the story of the awful day that Riley wandered away. Lucy and the family search and search, but finally realize that maybe Riley doesn’t want to be found. Lost Doggy Drama is the story of an old friend who ends things her way, and teaches her family to focus on the happy times they shared.

When an accident nearly claims Astronaut Luna Mare’s life, her team is forced to leave the moon without her, but she finds comfort and safety among the beings who secretly call the moon their home. She forms a bond with their leader, who she lovingly calls Moon, and it sparks romance. Although it breaks her heart, she must return to Earth, but little did she know that she was not alone. Luna was expecting twins.

Years pass, and Leo and Sola are always proud of their mother the astronaut. Luna does her best to give them a normal childhood, but she should have known they were never meant to lead ordinary lives. On their eleventh birthday, they discover that they inherited powers from their father, and their ancestry comes to light. Moon is ready to start teaching them what it means to be a Moonie, but what happens when other forces despise Moonie presence on Earth and Luna is taken in the crossfire? Together with Moon, Leo and Sola must travel the solar system and learn to use their powers as heroes Star Child and Solar Sister, all to protect the galaxy and rescue their mother.

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover but that is no longer true. In this hilarious book of faux book covers, Scott upends the traditional content of the personal and professional development genres by presenting an unexpected viewpoint on the same. You’ll learn that you CAN judge a book by its cover, without judgement. You’ll also learn from covers like The Power of Later, Perfecting Perfectionism, and How to Increase Your Profits by Making More Money. Imagine that!

Thumb through the pages and prepare to see more of the conventional go sideways. Bloom has created a ridiculously funny collection of authentic-looking covers and content that aren’t real. Or are they? That depends on your point of view. 

At the least, they are thought provoking. You’ll wonder whether you’ve been living your best life. And at the most, you’ll chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

You CAN Judge a Book by Its Cover is a delightful parody of truths that allows us to laugh at ourselves simply by reading the covers. Their beauty is truly skin-deep and their wisdom is entirely on the surface. All the answers to life’s challenges are revealed in this one book of book covers. Hmmm.

After back-to-back wins at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, the world is anxiously awaiting the Belmont Stakes, eager to see if Genuine Storm will take home the first Triple Crown in thirty-seven years. Behind the scenes, though, the stakes are higher—and much more dangerous.

Less than three weeks before the final race, a devastating barn fire tears through Shamrock Hill Farm, changing everyone’s lives forever. The relationships built around one exceptional racehorse are shattered and scattered between hospitals, horse whisperers, and conflicting obligations, and several huge secrets and suspicious characters threaten to keep them apart for good. Without Charlie and Doug, Lilly and Buck, Molly, Jenny, Ryan, Skylar, and the rest of Shamrock working together as a team, can Storm even make it to the track, much less the finish line?

By Tracy Watland

Mac wants to sing, but the other birds tell him he has no talent. With a little help from his friend Jack the Cardinal, this brilliant Bluebird learns to find his own voice and believe in himself!

By Douglas Falk

John Wilander finds himself reluctantly drawn to an ambitious investigation of a clandestine theory—lured into the rabbit hole by his enigmatic new friend from Stockholm University, the privileged William Milton. William is intensely determined to exhume the mother of all conspiracy theories from its dormancy and usher in the renaissance of a notorious worldview that has been dead and buried for five hundred years…until now.

As John’s pleas for sanity fall on deaf ears, a decision is made. With the aid of astrophysicist Dr. Celeste Wood, the table is set for a voyage to Antarctica that, if successful, could re-shape the world as we know it for all the years to come—with or without him.

It ’s Christmas time in Chambers County!

Crisp air, twinkling lights, and the sweet scent of evergreen is in the air, and there are plenty of special memories to be made. Two-year-old Adalyn can’t find Santa Claus! To find him in time to deliver presents, Adalyn searches some of Chambers County’s most iconic holiday celebrations, from the City Christmas Festival in

LaFayette, to the parade in the Greater Valley Area, to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Lanett. Discover the best and brightest Chambers County has to offer this and every holiday season!


By Judy Pancoast

Don Cassidy is an award-winning Christmas decorating enthusiast living in hot, sunny Florida. When he and his family move to Maine, Don dreams of finally seeing his holiday display amidst the falling snow for the first time. Unfortunately, he has moved across the street from local busybody Muriel Michaud, a retired teacher who loves to spy on the comings and goings of the folks in their fast-changing neighborhood.

When Don begins to create an elaborate Christmas display in September, it immediately becomes a focus for all of Muriel’s pent-up frustrations, and she starts a campaign to shut the display down, dragging her reluctant husband into the fray with her. Will Muriel and Don reach a compromise? And, most importantly, will their battle further divide the community, or will the residents band together to find friendship and, perhaps, love, in the midst of neighborly dysfunction?

The House on Christmas Street dazzles us with the lights and spectacle of Christmastime – while also reminding us that the holiday season is not just about what we see with our eyes, but, more importantly, what we see with our hearts.

By Nina Saporta

What happens when a kind engineer, a cool surfer, a witty comedian, and a sensitive friend get introduced with a CRASH on the first day of school? Follow Hanny, Wilder, Winnie, and Jonah as they journey through the first day at their brand new school by the shore.

At Sunshine Elementary, the students create their own class rules, define who they are, navigate situations with kindness, and solve problems using creativity and engineering skills. This positive, heartwarming, and influential story will inspire readers and ignite the idea that we all have it in us to change the world by being brave, capable, and kind.