Staff Picks

The Outsider is a twisted tale of a crime that shakes a town to its core, with a mysterious supernatural tormentor who is behind it all. The book starts out with a true-crime type of feel, and it later transitions into a classic Stephen King paranormal story. A murder, a shapeshifter, and an innocent man put to trial, The Outsider will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. Content warning: Sex, Drugs, Abuse.

- Gianna, 11th grade teen volunteer

Publisher's description:

When an 11-year-old boy is found murdered, forensic evidence and reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town's popular Little League coach. But the jailed suspect, arrested in a public spectacle, has an alibi, and further research convinces Detective Ralph Anderson that the coach was indeed out of town. So how can he have been in two places at the same time?

Is this a biography of prolific and determined taxonomist David Starr Jordan? A memoir of journalist Lulu Miller? A fascinating science lesson on biological classification? Yes, yes, and also yes.

 

As Miller's life seems to fall apart around her, she delves into research on Jordan, whose job was literally to make sense of the world around him. At first she admires his tenacity in the face of adversity when natural disasters repeatedly destroy his fish specimens, but as her research progresses, she realizes he's not the role model she thought he was. Miller beautifully weaves her personal story with her research on Jordan, but my favorite part of the book is learning and unlearning everything I thought I knew about fish.

 

Publisher description:

David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake--which sent more than a thousand discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life's work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish that he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool--a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, this is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.

 

Well Played is the second in the Well Met series, another summer season at the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire. It's a fun, fast read filled with tavern wenches, pirates in black leather, and a band called the Dueling Kilts. Mistaken identity leads to an online relationship with both parties revealing truths they haven't voiced out loud. The questions "Will Stacey and her mystery man share the same connection in person?" and "When and how will the truth come out?" kept me on the edge of my sofa reading until the end.

 

Publisher's description: 

Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it's been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she'll even find The One. When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she receives a tender email from the typically monosyllabic hunk, she's not sure what to make of it. Faire returns to Willow Creek, and Stacey comes face-to-face with the man with whom she's exchanged hundreds of online messages over the past nine months. To Stacey's shock, it isn't Dex--she's been falling in love with a man she barely knows.

 

Fake Blood is the urban fantasy graphic novel that we've all been waiting for. With some amazing world and character building, it easily draws you into the world of vampires and werewolves, except... they're not real, right? Can you believe what your eyes are telling you even when your brain says that it's not possible? Figure out the truth while you read this compelling spooky tale.

 

Publisher's description:

In order to get the attention of Nia, the girl he likes, eleven-year-old A.J. pretends to be a vampire, unaware that she intends to be a slayer.

 

I've read my fair share of Norse mythology, but what makes this book so fantastic is that it's written by Neil Gaiman. This means the prose is approachable while still being beautifully crafted, so it reads like one of his typical works of fiction. He also characterizes the gods in a way that almost makes you feel guilty for getting a fly-on-the-wall perspective of such mythical figures. Just...read it. You know you want to.

 

Publisher's description:

Norse gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

 

I loved reading this book during the pandemic. It gave me a much needed break from the news. Love, loss, grief, and just a enough magical realism made this a sweet, engaging read for stressful times.

 

Publisher's description: 

Thirty-four-year-old Harry Crane works as an analyst for the US Forest Service. When his wife dies suddenly, he is unable to cope. Leaving his job and his old life behind, Harry makes his way to the remote woods of northeastern Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains, determined to lose himself. But fate intervenes in the form of a fiercely determined young girl named Oriana.

 

Magic, kingdoms, witches, struggles, and personal growth are woven together in this amazing fantasy story of twins--of whom only one remains alive after a tragic accident. Many think it was the wrong twin to have survived. But this boy will prove that wrong. If you like fantasy, you shouldn't miss this one!   

 

Publisher's description:

When a Bandit King comes to take the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, the stuttering, weak boy villagers think should have drowned rather than his twin summons the strength to protect his family and community, while in the woods, the bandit's daughter puzzles over a mystery that ties her to Ned.

 

I enjoyed the time I spent reading Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, because the humor and magic kept me enthralled, while the adventure and themes of belonging kept me thinking. Morrigan Crow is a cursed girl who is always at fault for all of her town's problems, however, the curse turns out to be a power that can be used for good or for evil, but it's up to Morrigan to decide. The characters and themes shined through every thickening of the plot, which made the read a pleasure and something I looked forward to digging into every night before bed. 

- Natasha, 9th grade teen volunteer

Publisher's description:

A cursed child destined to die on her eleventh birthday is rescued and whisked away to a secret realm called Nevermoor and given the chance to compete for a place in a prestigious organization called the Wundrous Society.

"I'm happy that I decided to be myself, no matter what. No matter who'll have something to say about it or not. That's what I'm happy about, King." Twelve-year-old Kingston James has secrets. He has secrets about his older brother who died suddenly on the basketball court. He has secrets about his former best friend who has run away. And he has secrets about himself. In this story of grief and self-discovery, King learns that secrets get in your way and happiness starts with being yourself, no matter what.

 

Publisher description:

Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town, but he still visits in dreams. King must keep these secrets to himself, and can't even, talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders, because just days before he died, Khalid told [him] to end his friendship with Sandy, after overhearing that Sandy thinks he might be gay. But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.

 

Teenager Tanjiro Kamado leads a quiet life in the mountains of Taisho-era Japan making charcoal with his family. While he is away, a demon attacks and kills his entire family with the exception of his sister Nezuko, who is transformed into a flesh-hungry demon. A mysterious swordsman takes them in and trains the grieving boy to join the elite Demon Slayer Corps. Can Nezuko overcome her bloodlust and regain her humanity? Will Tanjiro overcome all odds and find the demon cure? This is a gorgeous manga that will leave you perched on the edge of your seat and wanting more!

 

Publisher description: 

Learning to destroy demons won't be easy, and Tanjiro barely knows where to start. The surprise appearance of another boy named Giyu, who seems to know what's going on, might provide some answers—but only if Tanjiro can stop Giyu from killing his sister first!