Staff Picks
November 2021
WarioWare: Get It Together!
WarioWare: Get It Together! – Imagine these different games: Plugging up a giant nose, dodging pigeons pooping from up above, making some fishies on swings kiss and find true love, and helping wrestlers do bicep curls so they can get swole. Okay. Now the other thing about these is that you have about 4 seconds to complete these. The WarioWare franchise is all about this: Speeding through deceptively simple “microgames” at a blazing pace bewildered by the fact that a boss fight involved you chasing down and catching a sentient toilet. WarioWare has been delighting its players for almost twenty years due to its quirky humor and this iteration introduces a new element that each playable character has differing abilities. These different abilities require quick reflexes as you adapt new strategies to each microgame. Wario can fly with a jetpack and use his trademark shoulder charge. Witch girl Ashley can fly on a broomstick and attack using her magic spells. Gamer 9-volt constantly skateboards on the ground and can shoot straight upward with his yoyo and use that to travel. One or two players can play these microgames together, and there are also separate minigames for up to 4 players. With over 200 microgames, extra minigames and around 20 different playable characters, WarioWare will be welcoming players back constantly for frenetic fun!
WarioWare: Get It Together! is available on the Nintendo Switch console and is rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and up.
Recommended by: Alexander Pappas, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Video Games
Chlorine Sky
by Mahogany L. Browne
This is the story of a Teen named Sky who is looking to step out of the shadow of her former best friend to become her own person. This book is a novel in verse and is full of broken promises, rumors, growing apart, and growing up. It’s a very quick read that many Teens will be able to relate to.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Edge of Anything
by Nora Shalaway Carpenter
A realistic novel that explores grief, mental health, and friendship. Len is a loner photographer who is haunted by her past and afraid that she’s losing her mind. Sage is a star volleyball player who is suddenly permanently put on the sidelines by a medical issue. Both girls need a college scholarship. When a chance meeting brings them together, will they be able to create a friendship that will save them both? Or will they be torn apart by their secrets and differences?
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive and an ebook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Woods Are Always Watching
by Stephanie Perkins
Looking for a creepy read? Check out “The Woods Are Always Watching”. Two teenagers decide to go on a short backpacking trip in Pisgah National Forest. The catch is they’ve never camped anywhere before and they insist on going alone. What could go wrong? Their first night in the woods they learn the hard way that there’s more than just wild animals to be afraid of in the woods. Sounds like the perfect start to a horror movie.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Long Distance
by Whitney Gardner
A graphic novel which starts with Vega’s dads deciding to move to Seattle from Portland, so she has to leave her BFF behind. Then her dads decide to send her to summer camp where she can work on making new friends. Her steps in the process are the titles of the chapters. When her cellphone quits and things at camp get stranger and stranger, Vega has to team up with her fellow campers to figure out what’s going on! What is going on is nothing ordinary and out of this world.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
The List of Things That Will Not Change
by Rebecca Stead
Bea’s parents have divorced and, as Bea navigates living in two separate places, her father announces he’s remarrying. Part of the remarriage comes with a new sister for Bea which she’s thrilled about since she’s an only child. As the wedding gets closer, Bea realizes that blending a new family isn’t always as easy as it appears.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Youth Fiction
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks
by Don Brown
A deeply moving graphic novel that depicts the events of 9/11 and the personal stories of many involved due only to being in the wrong place or going to rescue those in the wrong place. The ongoing ramifications from that day are told here in the U.S. and abroad. As in Drowned City, Don Brown meticulously researches his topic…7 pages of citations in Bibliography.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction
The Downstairs Girl
by Stacey Lee
Can you imagine living in a family’s basement for years without them knowing ? In The Downstairs Girl, by Stacey Lee the main character, Jo Kuan , does just that. As a Chinese woman living in the late 1800’s she has every reason to not stand out. She tries to live a quiet life in her cozy basement. Although many Chinese people immigrated to the American south to become a source of labor once slavery was abolished, they also became outcasts who seemed to live on the outskirts of a society more interested in black and white issues. Despite this, Jo’s personality and opinions may very well be the traits that change her life.
This book is available in the library and OverDrive/Libby and an ebook and e audiobook
Recommended by: Darnetta Bolton, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
October 2021
Set Me Free
by Ann Clare LeZotte
Mary Lambert loves her island home on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 1800s, but she’s eager to explore beyond her comfort zone. When she gets a letter from a past acquaintance asking for her help, Mary knows this is the adventure she’s been waiting for. Mary, like many people in her hometown, is deaf. Everyone in her town uses sign language, and now it will be Mary’s job to teach a young girl how to use sign language as well. But when Mary arrives and discovers her young pupil is a prisoner in the house, she does everything she can to help the young girl escape. A companion book to LeZotte’s first book, Show Me a Sign, Set Me Free is a historical drama, mystery, and adventure mixed into one story.
Recommended by: Stephanie Thomas, Youth Services Preschool Services Coordinator
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Sir Simon: Super Scarer
by Cale Atkinson
Simon the ghost got transferred to his first ever haunted house. He is a professional scarer, but he knows a haunted house comes with a lot of ghost chores. Like many of us, Simon wishes he had more time for other things he also enjoys. When a new family moves in, he seizes the opportunity to trick little Chester into doing his ghost chores. After getting to know Chester better, he realizes how much they have in common and how he’s not being fair. Sir Simon Spookington experiences the feeling of empathy and a new beautiful friendship is born. A super scarer duo of “ghotests with the mostests”. Cale Atkinson’s illustrations are captivating. Both kids and adults will truly appreciate the wittiness of the storyline, as well as the hilarious and authentic expressions on the characters.
Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction