Staff Picks

Anne Frank’s Diary

Anne Frank’s Diary full-length diary is adapted into a graphic novel by Ari Folman with stunning illustrations by David Polonsky. The journal highlights the life of Anne Frank, a young teenage girl who is forced to go into hiding with her family when Hitler was in power. It is astonishing what she and her family went through for almost two years living in their apartment. Anne shares her intimate and personal story. She shares what is happening to them inside the apartment and reveals her biggest thoughts and dreams for the world going on outside their apartment. We learn about her feelings and her hope for the future. You as the reader will feel like you are reading the diary of a good friend and you get to know Anne through her humor and sarcasm.

Recommended by: Stacie Pendleton, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Ava Lin Best Friend!

by Vicky Fang

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Medusa

by Katherine Marsh

Ava has some trouble controlling her temper in school. When she explodes in class, her parents decide to send her and her brother to a boarding school. Almost immediately not everything is as it seems. Ava soon discovers that she is a descendant of a mythical monster. Things start spiraling out of control once Ava begins to understand her powers. When Ava uncovers that the school is hiding a dangerous secret the story really takes off. 

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

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Could You Ever Waddle With Penguins!?

by Sandra Markle

Popular animal science author, Sandra Markle, has done it again creating a cute, informational series about animals that kids are sure to love! Could You Ever Waddle with Penguins!? is full of big, bright pictures and illustrations, and fun facts, about Adélie penguins. Geared towards younger elementary readers, there is enough text to learn something new, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming. After penguins, kids can see how they’d do with dolphins in the next book! Fans of Markle’s other youth nonfiction series, or the Who Would Win books will be sure to like these too!

Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Youth Nonfiction

Family of Liars

by E. Lockhart

A prequel to We Were Liars that is set 27 years before but on the same island as that story. Carrie is the oldest sister at seventeen, and the other three sisters are Penny, Bess, and Rosemary, who is dead from drowning but returns as a ghost. Carrie tells the story from her point of view at the request of her son, Johnny, who wants to know the absolute worst thing she ever did. Three boys, friends of a cousin, visit the island that summer, which leads to jealousy and violence.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

“You Just Need to Lose Weight”: and 19 other myths about fat people

by Aubrey Gorgon

I enjoy listening to podcasts, and one of my favorites is Maintenance Phase, a podcast that debunks the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams, and nonsensical nutrition advice. When I saw that co-host Aubrey Gordon wrote a second book I was very interested to give it a read. “You Just Need to Lose Weight” is similar to her podcast as acts to debunk common anti-fat myths. But this book also equips readers with facts and figures to address discrimination ingrained in how we think about and treat fat people. I appreciated Aubrey’s intense research and her passion for information and I felt like this book tried to tackle a lot of difficult and important issues in a short amount of pages. It is a great introduction to the many other companion reads that she recommends on this topic at the end of the book.

Recommended by: Kristen Holding, Graphic Artist

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction

How to Keep House While Drowning: a gentle approach to cleaning and organizing

by KC Davis

I often feel so overwhelmed with daily life that household chores get pushed to the wayside. K.C. Davis, licensed professional counselor and creator of Strugglecare.com, popped up on my TikTok feed several months ago with simple “life hacks” to make care tasks more manageable.  When I heard that she wrote a book, I was very excited to see what other life-changing and revolutionary ideas she had to share about home care. Written in 31 short easy-to-read chapters, she focuses on removing the moral obligations we feel towards care tasks that are counterproductive and suggests strategies for cleaning a messy space without becoming overwhelmed. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if you do not struggle keeping your space clean, as it has so many helpful ideas that are presented in a validating way.

Recommended by: Kristen Holding, Graphic Artist

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction

Willow the White House Cat

by Jill Biden

Fun book authored by first lady Jill Biden and filled with wonderful illustrations.  It shares with us the life of Willow, a shorthaired cat adopted from a farm in Pennsylvania by President Joe Biden, and First Lady, Jill Biden and named after Jill Biden’s hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.  Now living in the White House, Willow meets many of the special people who work there and spends her days exploring the many rooms that make up the White House.  Not just for children, this book should be enjoyed by all ages.

Recommend by: Denise Mitchel, Patron Services Clerk

Posted in: Youth Fiction

City Spies, Book 1

by James Ponti

Posted in: Youth Fiction

The Moonshiner’s Daughter

by Donna Everhart

Set in 1960’s North Carolina. Jessie Sasser’s family has a long legacy of making and running moonshine on Shine Mountain. Seeing her mother die a horrific death when she was very young has Jessie dead set against the family business. It leaves her with many questions about her mother and a eating disorder. Running shine isn’t easy, even with Sally Sue a rocket of a car. Mayhem, rivalry and the revenuers takes it’s toll on this family leaving Jessie with a choice to make about her family legacy.

This book is available in the library and on Hoopla an ebook and e audiobook.

Recommended by: Chris Schultz, Graphics Information Clerk

Posted in: Adult Fiction