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Cover ArtAgnes Sharp and her comrades band together in their "sunset years" to deal with the world, their ailments, and each other remarkably. Some shun their scandal. The police don't see past their aged exterior despite their lethal skills. Narrator Moira Quirk adds great personality and tempo to the story.
 
Publisher description:
It has been an eventful morning for Agnes Sharp and the other inhabitants of Sunset Hall, a communal home for the old and unruly in the sleepy English countryside. Although they have had their share of issues (misplaced reading glasses, conflicting culinary tastes, mobility issues, and unruly grandsons), nothing prepares them for an unexpected visit from a police officer with some shocking news. The body of one of their neighbors was discovered earlier that morning on the lawn. The members of the house put on long faces when the officer begins asking questions, but they are secretly relieved the body in question is not the one they're currently hiding in the shed (sorry, Lillith). After holding an emergency house meeting, they decide that the answer to their little problem with Lillith may have fallen right into their lap. All they have to do is find out who murdered their neighbor, so they can pin Lillith's death on them, thus killing two (old) birds with one stone (cold killer). With their plan sorted, Agnes and her geriatric gang spring into action. After all, everybody likes a good mystery. Besides, the more suspicion they can cast about, surely the less will land on them. To investigate, they will have to leave their comfort zone and journey into the quaint village of Duck End and all around town as they tangle with sinister bakers, broken stairlifts, inept criminals, local authorities, and their own dark secrets.
 
Cover ArtMorrigan Crow is blamed for everything that goes wrong in Nevermoor. The curse upon Morrigan also dooms her to die at midnight when she turns eleven. Hounds and hunters chase Jupitor North as he wisks Morrigan away to contend for the Wundrous Society, a trial of extraordinary feats.
 
Publisher's description:
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks—and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart—an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests—or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.
 
02/25/2021
Boulder Library
Cover ArtKids make fun of Molly Lou Melon because she is different than other children. She is small and clumsy, with a voice that sounds like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. Molly Lou Melon's grandmother tells her to stand tall. What would you do? Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell and David Catrow reinforces the message to be yourself, celebrate differences and to stand up for yourself. I wish all bullies responded to courage and kindness like in this book!
 
Cover ArtBellwether is for statisticians the way Ready Player One is for gamers. Enjoyable for anyone remotely interested in fads and human behavior or 80s references. Also entertaining for those of us baffled by ineptitude. (Leave your "How can you let this go on?!" outrage at the door.)
 
Publisher description:

Pop culture, chaos theory, and matters of the heart collide in this unique novella from the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Doomsday Book.

Sandra Foster studies fads--from Barbie dolls to the grunge look--how they start and what they mean, for the HiTek corporation. Bennett O'Reilly studies monkey-group behavior and chaos theory for the same company. When the two are thrust together due to a misdelivered package and a run of seemingly bad luck, they find a joint project in a flock of sheep. What better animal to study both chaos theory and the herd mentality that so often characterizes human behavior? Unfortunately, Sandra and Bennett must endure a series of setbacks, heartbreaks, dead ends, and disasters before they are able to find answers to their questions--with the unintended help of the errant, forgetful, and careless office assistant Flip.

Find Bellwether in our online catalog.

08/25/2020
Boulder Library
Cover ArtWater horses, Capaill Uisce, emerge from the sea on the shores of Thisby every November. Water horses eat meat and are larger than their land dwelling, grass-eating cousins. Puck Connelly enters the Scorpio Races to win. Others race to survive. Careful what you wish for--what you want might not be what you need.
 
The characters feel like gruff, hardy, laconic New Englanders, surviving weather, meager resources, and each other. I enjoyed the dual-narration audiobook of The Scorpio Races, with the alternating points of view of Puck and Sean.
 
Stiefvater strikes the right balance and tone, with a well developed relationship between Puck and Sean. I want more of the minor characters, water horses, and the Scorpio Race. Sequel, please!
 
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