Staff Picks
April 2020
The Gift of Ramadan
by Rabiah York Lumbard
Sofia is a little Muslim girl who loves sparkles and after hearing her grandma describing the heart of a person who fasts is “Pretty and Sparkly” she did her best to fast and follow the traditions of Ramadan. Could Sofia fast the long days of Ramadan so she can have a pretty and sparkly heart? It’s a great book for anyone who wants to know what is Ramadan and how Muslim families spend each day of it.
Recommended by: Ghada Rafati, Patron Service Clerk
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
by Holly Jackson
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Falling Kingdoms
by Morgan Rhodes
This fantasy offers 3 kingdoms and 3 different kings. Throw in some male and female heirs (or are they true heirs?), a vicious murder and a war and you have a book filled with adventure and intrigue. Oh, and don’t forget the magic, because is it real or isn’t it? If you like deep characterization, family relationships and wide sweeping landscapes, then this is the book for you. Also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
by Brigid Kemmerer
This vivid retelling of Beauty and the Beast is gripping. When Harper tries to thwart a kidnapping and gets taken herself, she finds herself in an alternate world. She becomes a key player in the future of Emberfall. Will she stay to help out the Prince or will she return home to see her dying mother and help her troubled brother? Read this engaging fantasy to find out. Also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
A Good Kind of Trouble
by Lisa Moore Ramee
Shayla’s palms always start to itch when she senses trouble. She does not like trouble and likes to follow the rules. During her 7th grade school year, she begins to learn that some rules may need to be broken. Change can only be brought about by rethinking rules, and the trouble caused by that could be good. Will she be brave enough to be the change? A social justice book incorporating today’s headlines about Black Life Matters. Also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Spirit Hunters
by Ellen Oh
First in a series, this is a chilling ghost story about a haunted house and the new family living in it. Harper has lost memories and a long-lost Grandma, and she begins to understand that the two may be connected. As strange and scary events continue to occur in the house, Harper begins to realize that she holds the key for not only saving her brother, Michael but also saving their house. She is a strong protagonist who not only finds herself but also the secrets of the house. Also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
The Only Road
by Alexandra Diaz
A Pura Belpre honor that is straight from real-life events. Jaime is a teenage boy who needs to flee Guatemala before he is forced to become part of a drug trafficking gang. Along with his cousin Angela, they begin the arduous journey to escape to the United States. Who can they trust? Who is trying to use them? What will happen if they reach the U.S. border? Also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
This emotional story is great for readers of all ages, though sensitive readers may find some parts more difficult to read. Ivan’s character is a simple one, accustomed to his life and happy to have friends, Stella the Elephant and Bob the Dog in the Big Top Mall. One day, a new baby elephant, Ruby, comes to join their family. Together, Ivan and Stella promise to do all they can to ensure Ruby has a better life than they had in captivity. This book is a fictional story based on Ivan the Silverback, who lived out the end of his life in Zoo Atlanta after a similar life in a mall. Also available on OverDrive.
Recommend by: Alejandra Menendez, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone Series: Book 1)
by Laini Taylor
Karou lives two lives. The first life consists of a tattooed, blue-haired painter who lives in Prague and attends an art school with her best friend, Zuzana. The second life is a little more unusual. Karou sneaks off into the shadowy alleyways of Prague to a door that, when distinctively knocked, opens an entrance to the world of Chimaera, creatures composed of a number of human and animal features. Karou runs bizarre errands for the Chimaera like collecting human and animal teeth. When she encounters a warrior angel named Akiva, answers to the lifelong questions of her existence are finally revealed. This first book in a trilogy grips you tightly and won’t let go until to finish all three. Also available on Overdrive.
Recommended by: Brandi Smits, Youth Services Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Food That Built America: Season 1
Many foods that we take for granted today, such as breakfast cereal, ketchup, milk chocolate, and Coke did not exist a little over one hundred years ago. This show tells the fascinating stories of the people like Henry Heinz, Milton Hershey, John & Will Kellogg, Clarence Birdseye, and the McDonald brothers, who created the foods that we know and love today. It documents their imagination, drive, risks, trials & errors, and hard work – changing the American diet (for better & worse), while building cities, developing new technologies, fostering social & cultural change, and creating multimillion-dollar empires along the way. Available on Hoopla.
Recommended by: Dawn Gowgiel, Adult Services Shelver
Posted in: Documentary