Staff Picks Youth

The Road to After

by Rebekah Lowell

This novel in verse is beautifully written and illustrated by the author. This quick read is so empowering and shows that even through the darkest, hardest childhood experiences can lead to survival, hope and ultimately healing. There are also lots of metaphor’s used to help the young reader see the meaning readily.

Recommended by: Lenore Garoufalis, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Caprice

by Coe Booth

Caprice has just returned from a summer program at an exclusive boarding school. She’s thrilled to be back home but is conflicted as well. She’s been offered a scholarship for 8th grade and high school at the boarding school. Should she stay or should she go? In the meantime, her grandmother has become ill and some memories from the past are haunting Caprice. Add in some friend troubles and a boy who’s interested in her, and Caprice has a lot on her mind.

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.

Submitted by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Peace is a Chain Reaction: How World War II Japanese Balloon Bombs Brought People of Two Nations Together

by Tanya Lee Stone

A not well-known fact from World War II is the basis of this book. During this war the Japanese were looking for ways to attack Americans on their own soil. They came up with the idea of balloon bombs that would travel across the Pacific and detonate in the United States. Not many of them were successful in their mission but, tragically, one was. A minister and his wife were on a picnic with some school-age children in Oregon. When the children went exploring, they came across a downed balloon. Somehow the attached bomb was triggered and 6 people were killed, one adult and 5 children. Years later a Japanese American man, Yuzuru Takeshita, spoke with a woman who worked in the factory in Japan where these balloons were made. He began a peace connection between her and others involved in the balloon manufacturing with the families of those killed. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Nonfiction

Spooky Sleuths: The Ghost Tree

by Natasha Deen

Do you like mysteries and spooky stories?  Then you’ll love this new series based on ghost stories from Guyana.  It’s the first book in the series which is illustrated and good for an early chapter book reader. It’s a fast paced book that keeps you hanging on for the next clue! Asim moves to a new town and hears weird noises at night, eerie lights and an evil tree. Can Asim and his friends save their teacher and the town from the ghost tree? Read on if you dare!

Recommended by: Lenore Garoufalis, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Abby in Orbit: Blast Off!

by Andrea J. Loney

Blast Off! by Andrea J. Loney is the first book in the new Abby in Orbit series. It’s a beginner chapter book for any reader interested in space or surviving their first day of third grade. Abby and her little brother Nico, just moved from Earth to the OASIS International Space Station, joining their scientist parents. There’s a lot to get used to, like the lack of gravity, and making new friends. Abby tries her hardest to get it all right, but runs into some trouble. This sweet, funny, relatable story will have readers laughing and daydreaming about living in space.

Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Youth Fiction

The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team

by Kit Rosewater

Kenzie is passionate about roller skating and, especially, roller derby. When she, along with her best friend, Shelly, find out about the new junior derby league tryouts, they are super excited. But when they learn they need to try out as a team if they want to be on the same team, they are stuck. They don’t know anyone else who roller skates. Will they be able to form a five person team in time for tryouts? 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction

The Last Bear

by Hannah Gold

April knows there are no polar bears left on Bear Island. Her father, an environmental scientist, has told her so. But when she looks out her bedroom window on their first night living in the Arctic Circle, April swears she sees a polar bear. There’s a polar bear–one who is hungry, injured, and maybe, if April is lucky, lonely enough to become a friend. As April works her way into Bear’s heart, can she figure out how he became the last polar on Bear Island? More importantly, does she have what it takes to rescue him and reunite him with the other polar bears in the Arctic Circle?

Recommended by: Stephanie Visser-Rodriquez, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Big Tree

by Brian Selznick

Selznick has once again created a book that soars in both text and illustrations. The text is sparse but the ideas conveyed are profound. The illustrations flow like watching a movie. Follow two sycamore seeds as they struggle to survive and understand their world.  At the end of the story be sure to read the scientific explanations of topics raised in the book. Be prepared to be awed by the book and to keep thinking about it long after you have closed the book.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar

by Mojdeh Hassan

Samira the little girl goes out to the Grand Bazaar in Tahran/ Iran for the first time with her grandmother, Mama Shamsi.  She is scared and nervous because it’s her first visit to the market and wants to hide under Mama Shamsi’s “chador”. This picture book contains rhymes words and wonderful illustration, it will teach young children other countries cultures in a very beautiful way. After reading this book, will you be able to know what “Chador” in Farsi is?

Recommended by: Ghada Rafati, Patron Services Clerk

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Swim Team

by Johnnie Christmas

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas is a power packed graphic novel! It really has it all. Girl power, sports, history, bright, expressive illustrations, the list goes on and on! Bree is the new girl in school and she can’t swim, which wouldn’t be a big deal, except her new school is in Florida, and the only available elective is Swim 101. Luckily, she makes a few fast friends and her upstairs neighbor turns out to be a former professional swimmer. With the right training and intense determination, Bree is on her way to becoming a champion swimmer, but being a part of a team comes with its own challenges. Can Bree and the rest of the swim team at Enith Brigitha Middle School come together to make history? What other problems can be solved along the way? This inspiring, charming story is sure to capture the attention of a variety of readers.

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook.

Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Youth Fiction