Staff Picks Youth

The Red Tin Box

by Matthew Burgess

A picture book, which in beautiful words and illustrations, tells the story of a special box and the special relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter. The special treasures in the box leads to stories to share between the two from memories of which they remind the grandmother. A book to share with generations and maybe be inspired to do something similar.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Sarah Rising

by Ty Chapman

Sarah, the little girl who loves the nature and enjoys her morning everyday before going to school,  one morning her dad decided to teach Sarah how to stand up for her rights by taking her to a protest. I love this book because it teaches kids how to explore justice and how to react peacefully when they experience it in their community to get their rights.

Recommended by: Ghada Rafati, Patron Service Clerk

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Who’s the Bendiest?

by Emilie Dufresne

This Animal vs Animal nonfiction book series by Emilie Dufresne is sure to capture the attention of readers who love Jerry Pallotta’s Who Would Win? series or Kieran Downs’ Animal Battles series. Who’s the Bendiest? explores six “contenders,” the rat, cat, ferret, octopus, hagfish, and California Sea Lion. They are paired off in rounds where facts and pictures are shared with readers to determine who is the bendiest and why. At the end of the book, there is a “Hall of Fame” of honorable mentions, a quiz, an activity suggestion, and a glossary. Each book in the series is structured this way to make for a super fun reading experience! Grab a copy of Who’s the Bendiest? today to find out which animals can twist, squeeze, and squish the most to win the title!

Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services References Librarian

Posted in: Youth Nonfiction

Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret

by Judy Blume

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Little Dreamers – Visionary Women Around the World

by Vashti Harrison

Posted in: Youth Biographies

Oh Sal

by Kevin Henkes

Posted in: Youth Fiction

We Dream of Space

by ERIN ENTRADA Kelly

The three Nelson Thomas siblings could not be further apart. Each of them moves through their own, never intersecting, orbits. Cash, who loves basketball but isn’t good at it, is struggling to pass seventh grade for the second time. Fitch excels at the local arcade game, Major Havoc, but can never seem to get a grip on his temper. And Bird, Fitch’s twelve-year-old twin, has dreams of being an astronaut, but feels her hopes and dreams dwindle as she begins to question her own importance in the world. Each of the Nelson Thomas kids wants to live a different life, be a different person, and escape from the tense unpleasantness that is their family. They are pummeling away from each other, alone and lost. It seems as though the Nelson Thomas siblings will never collide with each other, until one fateful day, they do. 

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

Recommended by: Stephanie Visser-Rodriguez, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Youth Fiction

One Last Shot

by John David Anderson

Malcolm is trying to like baseball for his dad’s sake, but it just really isn’t his thing. When he tries miniature golf, though, he finds he excels. The problem is still his dad. Malcolm isn’t driven in sports like his father and it’s causing problems between them. When Malcolm detects similar issues between his dad and his mom, he feels like he needs to fix it. Things start looking up when Malcolm meets a new friend while playing miniature golf. With a friend and a coach, Malcolm is able to start seeing his life in a different way. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction

A Rover’s Story

by Jasmine Warga

A remarkable read told from the viewpoint of the Mars rover, Resilience, better known as Res. His journey starts with being created in a lab at the Jet Propulsion Center and continues as he explores Mars…until he falls. Seventeen years later he returns to Earth after sending back so much information about Mars. He has feelings and thoughts, sadly unexpressed, for the people who did his coding and for Fly, the drone who accompanied him to Mars. At times while reading you forget that he is a rover, not a person.

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

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Youth Fiction

The Mysterious Benedict Society

by Trenton Lee Stewart

Reynie Muldoon is quite surprised when he finds a peculiar ad in the newspaper that seems to be directed exactly at him: “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” A genius orphan, who never seems to fit in anywhere, Reynie feels this might be his only opportunity to both achieve great things and finally make friends. When he arrives, he is quite shocked to find the tests and questions posed to the hundreds of children who answered the ad are just as strange as the ad itself. Nonethless, Reynie, along with only three other children are chosen for the job. The task at hand: go undercover as students at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where something very dark and evil is at work. Will Reynie and his new friends be able to stop the Institute before the world is irreversibly changed for the worse? This puzzling and humorous book is a great pick if you want a book that’ll make you wonder, think, and laugh.

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

Recommended by: Stephanie Visser-Rodriguez, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Youth Fiction