Staff Picks
August 2021
Dancing at the Pity Party
by Tyler Feder
Tyler Feder describes, in poignant detail, how it felt to live through her mother’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent death. The graphic novel style lends itself to both humor and pathos.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Little Bat in Night School
by Brian Lies
An adorable book from Caldecott winner, Brian Lies. Little Bat is going to night school for the first time and he is ready. When he gets there he meets all kinds of animals and makes a special friend with a opossum… they both hang upside down. He experiences many new things but also learns the importance of trying, kindness, and acceptance. A great read for little ones going to school for the first time or for preschool and kindergarten teachers to read to the class.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Curse of the Night Witch
by Alex Aster
This fast-paced fantasy is inspired by Colombian mythology. Tor Luna lives on Emblem Island where an emblem shows up on your arm to dictate how you will spend your life. When Tor wishes for a different emblem and a new one appears, it sets him off on an adventure along with his friends, Engle and Melda.
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
The Anthropocene Reviewed
by John Green
The Anthropocene is basically the world as we know it and the impact people have on the environment, animals, climate, and each other. In this collection of essays, author John Green steps away from his usual YA novels to write short reviews on different things within the Anthropocene including animals (Canada Geese), places (Indianapolis), food & drink (Diet Dr. Pepper), and ideas (The Yips). Each chapter is a different topic with a unique view and how it benefited or hurt existence complete with Green’s own starred review of the topic. Written during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Green conveys feelings and emotions that are all too familiar and joins us in our struggle to weight how our recent experiences will shape who we are and what we will become. I cannot recommend this title enough.
Recommended by: Brandi Smits, Youth Services Manager
Posted in: Adult Nonfiction
Ashfall Legacy
by Pittacus Lore
By the author of the series, I Am Number Four, comes a new novel, sure to be a series about Syd, a half alien young man. After discovering a locator that indicates his father is still alive, he is determined to try and locate his father who went missing many years ago in the vastness of space. One big problem, if earthlings leave Earth they become super strong but die when they return to Earth. Syd heads out with his uncle to the planet Denza, where lots of action and adventure and monsters and magic rings keep the pages turning.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian 1
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Flint Water Crisis
by Julie Knutson
What happens when the water supply for a large city becomes unsafe? Considered a major environmental catastrophe, this book investigates the causes and impacts of using a new water resource for the city of Flint, MI.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Nonfiction
Let’s Go Swimming!
by Norm Feuti
Hedgehog has all he needs for a fun day swimming at the pond until he remembers he needs his friend Harry to go along. Unfortunately Harry is afraid to go underwater. Another book in the series Hello, Hedgehog to help young ones learn to read using bright graphics and basic words.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
A Pizza with Everything on It
by Kyle Scheele
What toppings do you like on your pizza? Pepperoni? Mushrooms? Penguins? A particle accelerator? When a child tasks his pizza shop owning father to make them a pizza with everything on it, they mean EVERYTHING. As father and child pile on a doghouse, regular house, even the White House, the pizza crust magically expands to accommodate all the not so traditional toppings. What happens when the pizza crust can’t hold anymore toppings? The answer is out of this world! A fun and quirky read.
This book is available in the library and on Hoopla as an ebook.
Recommended by: Stephanie Thomas, Youth Services Preschool Services Coordinator
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster
How would you remake the world? That is the question at the heart of this remaster of an iconic mid-2000s role-playing game. In the aftermath of a cataclysm, you awaken as the Demi-fiend: a half-human, half-demon entity capable of summoning demons to your aid. Explore the remains of Tokyo as you recruit demons to your side. Utilize the various strengths of your recruited demons to win intense turn-based battles that encourage strategy by buffing your team’s strengths and exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses. Old friends and new acquaintances alike covet the power of the Demi-fiend and you can choose to ally yourself with their reasons. These branching paths have multiple endings that encourage repeat playthroughs. Freedom, structure, power, equality… which reason will you choose to build your new world around? Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is available at the Orland Park Public Library on both the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 consoles. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is rated “M for Mature.”
Recommended by: Alexander Pappas, Youth Services Reference I Librarian
Posted in: Video Games
Pay Attention, Carter Jones
by Gary D. Schmidt
Right when Carter Jones is starting sixth grade, a butler from England appears at their door and stays. Carter’s father is deployed in Afghanistan so they can use the help but the butler has some different ideas including a love of the game of cricket. Carter’s family, including his three sisters, adjusts as the butler insists on manners and always remembering ‘who you are’.
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