Staff Picks Youth Fiction
October 2024
The Bellwoods Game
by Celia Krampien
Bailee’s school year is not going well. Most of her friends have turned against her as they believe she ratted them out. But soon the Bellwoods game will start and Bailee hopes to win. When a girl went missing from their town years ago, the rumor started that her ghost was haunting the woods. Now every year, the Bellwoods game has been held. 3 student volunteers must ring the bell in the woods before the ghost does in order to keep their town safe for another year. Who will win this year?
Submitted by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Manager
Posted in: Youth Fiction
September 2024
The Secret Library
by Kekla Magoon
Dally is being raised to take over the family business even though she hates numbers and would rather use words and her imagination. Her grandfather understood the importance of having fun, but her mom, who is running the company, has her make an appointment to discuss joining a club. After her grandfather dies, Dally realizes that a map he left for her leads to a special treasure… a library where the books are portals that take her back in time to experience family events and meet ancestors. This story covers issues of race, class, and gender in a fantasy adventure. Readers will enjoy time-traveling with Dally, learning her family secrets, and discovering her role in life.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Faker
by Gordon Korman
Trey and his sister have grown up with the life provided by their grifter father. Their mother left years back after deciding that the cons the father is always running are not for her. As the kids have grown they become involved in setting up the families to fleece and then flee with the money before getting caught. Then Trey starts at a school where he meets a girl, finds a best friend, and takes an ethics class that makes him start to question his lifestyle in terms of right and wrong, responsibility and consequences of actions.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Not Nothing
by Gayle Forman
Twelve year old Alex has to work as a volunteer at a facility for older people as a result of acting out in anger and doing “a terrible thing”. He is not happy with the situation until he meets 107 year-old Holocaust survivor, Josey. As Josey shares his experiences meeting a girl named Olka and surviving WW II, Alex begins to learn not to judge people by their age or infirmaries but to learn from their memories and stories. Both storylines share misunderstandings, awfulness, hate, and biases, but also love and bravery. There is heartbreak as well as hope. Perhaps one may not be judged by one’s worst deed but be allowed to rise above it.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Maya Plays the Part
by Calyssa Erb
Maya loves musical theater and her parents are finally letting her participate in the local theater’s summer camp. She has big plans to wow her favorite director and star in this year’s production, but it turns out she has a lot to learn about teamwork, friendship, and herself. Although Maya’s autism has previously made her feel as though she needs to always play the part of “Maya in Public,” she learns she can succeed by just being herself. Middle grade readers will gain perspective through Maya’s thought processes and walk away with admiration for her genuine personality and perseverance. Maya Plays the Part by Calyssa Erb will leave readers cheering for all the characters and looking up tickets to see a musical!
Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Youth Fiction
A Walk in the Words
by Hudson Talbott
Posted in: Youth Fiction
August 2024
Alias Anna
by Susan Hood
Written in verse, this lyrical non-fiction novel is an amazing story of two Jewish sisters, Zhanna and Frina, trying to survive World War II. At a world-renowned conservatory, these Ukrainian sisters explore their incredible musical skills, but with the Nazis invading Ukraine, their whole world is turned upside down when they are forced to leave their home. Leaving their families behind, all the girls have with them is their musical talents. How will the sisters survive the war and outwit the Nazis? I recommend this novel to anyone interested in history and music who enjoys a story about perseverance and strength even in the hardest of days. This book is nominated for the 2025 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Abigail Hooks, Youth Services Assistant
Posted in: Youth Fiction
The Yellow Bus
by Loren Long
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Eb & Flow
by Kelly J. Baptist
Black seventh graders Ebony “Eb” Wilson and De’Kari “Flow” Flood have both been suspended for a fight between them. In this novel in verse, Eb and Flow alternate comments on what happened. Hearing the two different points of view lets the reader inside Eb and Flow’s lives and gives perspective to both their thought processes.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Small Steps, Big Change
by Annemarie Cool
Fourteen cartoon character shapes, such as Nature Hero who is a leaf or Eat Well Hero who is an apple, each get a two-page spread to outline why it is important and how to achieve positive, sustainable change. The book is Inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals, formulated by the United Nations. It is written and illustrated in such way for young children to understand how they can take practical steps to be a part of making the world a better place. Even older people should read this book for learning how to do their part in making a difference in the world and with other people.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Youth Fiction