Staff Picks

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

Becoming RBG

by Debbie Levy

This graphic novel biography clearly outlines the outstanding life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Beginning with her birth, the author details her rise, through law school and various jobs, to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Biographies

Defy the Night

by Brigid Kemmerer

This book will be released in September of 2021 and I’m recommending that you put a hold on it right away to be one of the first ones to read it! A sickness is running rampage through the kingdom of Kandala. Outlaws Tessa and Wes are doing everything they can to help the people who can’t afford medicine, even if that means breaking the law. Meanwhile Prince Corrick the Cruel is doing everything he can to protect his brother the king, all while trying to stop a revolution from happening. In a kingdom where no one can be trusted can the outlaws and royalty find a common ground to save everyone? Or is the kingdom doomed to fall? If you’re a fan of Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreaker series, I highly recommend picking up this book as your next read!

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig

This book is a lot like It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s about a woman named Nora who decides to end her life, but in doing so finds herself in “the library” instead. It’s here that she gains the chance to change her past in any way she can think of. What if she had become a famous swimmer? What if she became a famous rock star? So many choices to try out, but she only has a limited amount of time to try them all out and choose the best one before her life is officially over. Will she make the best decision? Or was her original life really the best one?

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

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Adult Fiction

A Lesson in Vengeance

by Victoria Lee

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Walking Toward Peace: The True Story of a Brave Woman Called Peace Pilgrim

by Kathleen Krull

This is the true story of a woman who gave up everything she owned, including her name, to walk over twenty-five thousand miles, spreading peace.  With her new name, “Peace Pilgrim” starts on an amazing journey, walking through all fifty states.  She spread the message of, “a golden age of peace, a world with no fighting between people or nations.” Over twenty-eight purposeful years, she walked many different pilgrimages, crossing the country seven times. Peace Pilgrim was an amazing woman, who proved one person can inspire many.  

 “Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.” – Peace Pilgrim

Recommended by: Malorie Carpenter, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Secrets of a Charmed Life

by Susan Meissner

This historical fiction‘s main characters, Emmy and Julia Downtree, live with their single mother in London in the 40’s. They are evacuated to the countryside when the bombing from the war becomes too dangerous. Emmy wants to return to London in order to work with a designer who has shown interest in her bridal gown drawings. Emmy decides to leave Julia behind as she is only seven years old but Julia discovers her plan and insists on coming with her sister. Emmy’s decision to bring her sister with her changes the course of both their lives. The events that follow are both heartbreaking and reaffirming.

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

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Adult Fiction