Staff Picks
April 2022
Northwind
by Gary Paulsen
Last book written by Gary Paulsen and continues his forte in writing about young men surviving and thriving in a hostile world… think back to Hatchet. Also think about what we have learned about him through his books… My Life in Dog Years… and interviews about his neglectful upbringing… “The Librarian Who Changed His Life”. Leif, an orphan, was pushed from the fishing camp in a cedar canoe after a brutal sickness killed any and all in the camp. He was told to head North and never look back. His survival depended on luck, ingenuity, and the natural world he finds himself alone in. Beauty and savagery abound throughout.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
The Space Between Before and After
by Sue Stauffacher
Thomas Moran’s mother has been struggling with depression for years. It seems to Thomas that his mother is physically with him, mentally somewhere else. Thomas says his mother always looks like she has clouds in her eyes. After his mom disappears, Thomas learns how to cope without her. With the help of neighbors and friends, the power of storytelling becomes his savior. It is through storytelling that his family learns to live again. The Space Between Before and After is a serious and very emotionally heavy book. But just like life, not all books are fun and happy.
Recommended by: Malorie Carpenter, Youth Services Assistant
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?
by Leslie Connor
Aurora is talkative, excitable and impulsive. Frenchie is non-verbal, calm and thoughtful. Aurora and Frenchie are best friends. When Frenchie goes missing one day, the entire town bonds together to search for him. Told from different viewpoints this story is realistic and poignant.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Eliza and Her Monsters
by Francesca Zappia
In real life Eliza is friendless, shy, and odd. Online though, she is the amazing anonymous creator of the popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. She’s happy for a time with her secret life, until she meet Wallace in real life and things start to change for the better. But good things don’t always last… Her online secret identity is accidently spilled to the world and everything that she has kept hidden about herself is now in the open. Everything starts to fall apart including her sanity. Will her new found real life fame destroy her? Or will she find the help she needs to keep things together?
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby/Hoopla as an ebook and e audiobook
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
How to Hang a Witch
by Adriana Mather
Sam is the decedent of Cotton Mather, one of the people responsible for the Salem witch trials. So when she moves to Salem she becomes public enemy number one, especially among the teen girls who call themselves the Descendants. They are the ancestors of the witches that Cotton Mather hanged during the witch trials. On top of being tormented by the Descendants, Sam’s new home is haunted by an angry Teen ghost. Sam learns that there is a curse affecting the descendants of anyone who was tied to the witch trials, including herself. Will she be able to find a way to work with her ghost and the Descendants to stop the curse’s deadly cycle? Or is she doomed to become the newest ghost in Salem?
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares
by Krystal Sutherland
Esther is doomed to suffer one great fear that will lead to her death. It’s a family curse that has been affecting them since her grandfather met Death. Esther does everything in order to avoid things that could scare her, that way she doesn’t have a fear. She keeps a list of her semi-definitive worst nightmares and knows that those things are off limits. Crowds? Nope. Elevators? No way. When Jonah shows back up in her life she is forced to face her list of fears with him. Together they overcome one phobia at a time. But what happens if love starts to appear? Will it be enough to break the curse?
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Testing
by Joelle Charbonneau
If you like the Hunger Games, this should be your next read! Every year candidates are chosen to join the Testing to show that they are worthy to be a University student. The test however is not your average pen and pencil quiz and most candidates don’t survive to the end. In a life or death situation, who can you trust to have your back? And can you survive the Testing?
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and audiobook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Naturals
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
If you like mysteries and thrillers, this book could be for you. There is a program put on by the FBI where they recruit kids who are special. Each participant has a “natural” gift. Cassie can read people and tell you who you are and what you want in detail. When she is put together with other teens who also have special talents things get real fast. Are the teens willing to risk danger and death to help the FBI solve murder cases? Can they come together as a team and survive before the killer picks them off one at a time? Pick up this book to find out.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Round, pink and cute! Kirby is the lovable hero that finds himself lost in a new land in this adorable adventure celebrating the series’ 30th anniversary! When Kirby is transported through time and space, he gains the new power to change his shape by inhaling everyday objects. Watching Kirby eat up cars, vending machines and traffic cones is not only cute/hilarious (cutelarious?) but leads to some wildly creative puzzles in Kirby’s first fully 3D saga. These new abilities and returning classics like Cutter, Needle and Ice add variety to the game to make it approachable for newcomers and adds extra challenges for series veterans and completionists. Wait…you say you want more cute? Try teaming up with a friend! Kirby can invite his buddy Bandana Waddle Dee to help him out in friendly co-op. Save the Waddle Dees and learn the mystery of this new world alongside Kirby! Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available at the Orland Park Public Library on the Nintendo Switch system. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is rated “E 10+ for Everyone 10 and up.”
Recommended by: Alex Pappas, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Video Games
Blood Moon
by Lucy Cuthew
This book in verse chronicles Frankie’s fall from grace in high school after a vicious meme goes viral. Since Frankie thinks her best friend posted it, their friendship is now over. On top of that the guy she likes cuts off contact with her once the meme is public. While this is all going on, Frankie is in the midst of applying for a coveted internship in her field of choice: astronomy.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive as an ebook.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction