Staff Picks

A timely novel about the idea that sometimes good intentions lead to bad outcomes. Loyalty, class, formative romantic wounds, and racial justice all whirl and distill, creating the milieu where a young African American woman must determine who will control her life in the wake of a racially charged incident.

 

Publisher Description:

A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, "Such a Fun Age" is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

 

If you ever wanted to run away, travel to New York City and try out for a Broadway musical, this book is for you! Nate Foster, a really funny 13 year-old from Pittsburgh, dreams of landing a role in "E.T. the Musical," and I can't wait to see if he gets the part!

 

Publisher Description:

Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he's wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he'd settle for seeing a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he's stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby's help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There's an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical , and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom.

 

For Zelda to navigate the world, she needs some basic rules to help her feel safe. She has a fascination for all things Viking, which helps her make daily decisions. As "When We Were Vikings" unfolds, the reader sees how the world around her continually underestimates Zelda's resilience and her quest to be legendary.

 

Publisher Description: Sometimes life isn't as simple as heroes and villains. For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:

1. A smile means "thank you for doing something small that I liked."

2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.

3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.

4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.

5. Sometimes the most important things don't fit on lists.

 

But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable--and dangerous--methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn't long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength. When We Were Vikings is an uplifting debut about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own, because after all... We are all legends of our own making.

 

An all too plausible story of how being in the wrong place at the wrong time can lead to unwarranted incarceration--or revolution. "Revolution has always been in the hands of the young." -Huey Newton

 

Publisher Description:

Marcus, aka "w1n5t0n," is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works--and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school's intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems. But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison, where they're mercilessly interrogated for days. When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state, where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself. Can one teenage hacker fight back against a government out of control? Maybe, but only if he's really careful . . . and very, very smart.

 

I read this book when I was 10 years old and it quite literally changed my life. Ella is a funny, fierce, relatable heroine, and the themes of choice, family, and independence still resonate today! My personal copy is completely torn up and well loved, but a library copy would be great for you. I recommend this book to everyone!

 

Publisher Description: 

This beloved Newbery Honor-winning story about a feisty heroine is sure to enchant readers new and old.

At her birth, Ella of Frell receives a foolish fairy's gift--the "gift" of obedience. Ella must obey any order, whether it's to hop on one foot for a day and a half, or to chop off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not accept her fate...

Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse forever.

Find "Ella Enchanted" in our online catalog.

If this book were a sponge, it would be saturated with all of the things I never learned in school history classes. I read this while simultaneously listening to Jason Reynolds narrate the audiobook (highly recommend!). It's time to take control over what you think you know, educate yourself, and relearn what racism is and why America can't shake itself of it. This remix of Ibram X. Kendi's "Stamped from the Beginning" is a fast-paced, colloquial summary of the original that will appeal to young readers and adult readers who may not have a lot of free time. Learn the racist origins of "Tarzan" and "Planet of the Apes"--for starters. Learn that Charlene Mitchell was the first black woman to run for president in 1968(!) as a member of the communist party. Be ready for several WTF moments when things click in your brain as you relearn America's history. This book was so interesting that it has encouraged me to seek out the original, because if this barely scratches the surface of what we didn't learn in school, I've got to know what else I didn't learn.

Trixie takes Knuffle Bunny on an errand with Daddy, but Knuffle Bunny gets left behind! The simple text and expressive illustrations mean I am still not tired of this book even after the 100th reading. A timeless tale everyone can relate to--whether you've been the Trixie, the daddy, or even the Knuffle Bunny.