Staff Picks
August 2021
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
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