Staff Picks

We like to read, and we like to share what we read! This is a list of recent favorites. STAFF PICKS

The Kings and Queens of Roam By Wallace, Daniel 2013-05 - Touchstone Books 9781476703978 Check Our Catalog From the celebrated author of "Big Fish," an imaginative, moving novel about two sisters and the dark legacy and magical town that entwine them. In this new novel, a Southern literary master returns to the tradition of tall-tales and folklore. …More

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian By Alexie, Sherman Illustrator Forney, Ellen 2007-09 - Little, Brown Young Readers 9780316013680 Check Our Catalog Awards: American Indian Youth Literature Award (2008), Book Sense Book of the Year Award (2008), Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (2008), California Young Reader Medal (2010), Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (2008), Colorado Blue Spruce Award (2009), Cybils (2007), Delaware Diamonds Award (2009), Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (2010), Florida Teens Read (2010), Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers (2009), Grand Canyon Reader Award (2010), Green Mountain Book Award (2010), Iowa Teen Award (2010), L.A. Times Book Prize (2007), National Book Awards (2007), Native American Youth Services Literature Award (2008), Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2008), Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2010), Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2009), Sequoyah Book Awards (2010), South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award (2010), Tayshas Reading (2009), Volunteer State Book Awards (2010), Washington State Book Award (2008), Young Reader's Choice Award (2010) Based on the authors own experiences, this first young adult novel by bestselling author Alexie features poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney that reflect the characters art as it chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy attempting to break away from the life he was destined to live. HPL patron: A very funny, incredibly …More

How the World Was: A California Childhood By Guibert, Emmanuel Translator Pulver, Kathryn M. 2014-07 - First Second 9781596436640 Check Our Catalog HPL patron: This is like the prelude to "Alan's War" (also by Guibert-both about Alan Cope.) It's a little slow but the illustrations are very well drawn. Best if read with "Alan's War." …More

A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos By Sobel, Dava 2011-09 - Walker & Company 9780802717931 Check Our Catalog In her elegant, compelling style, Dava Sobel chronicles, as nobody has, the conflicting personalities and extraordinary discoveries that shaped the Copernican Revolution. …More

Unseen Academicals By Pratchett, Terence David John Author Pratchett, Terry 2009-10 - Harper 9780061161704 Check Our Catalog Discworld lives on. In this latest novel, Terry Pratchett delivers the trademark insight and humor readers the world over have come to expect from the purely funniest English writer since Wodehouse ("Washington Post Book World"). HPL patron: I listed to the playaway-the story is very entertaining and though the story is part of the Discworld series, you don't have to be …More

The Nightingale By Hannah, Kristin 2015-02 - St. Martin's Press 9780312577223 Check Our Catalog Awards: National Jewish Book Award (2015), Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2016) #1 "New York Times" bestseller Named a top five book of the year by Amazon Named a best book of the year by: Buzzfeed, iTunes, "Library Journal," "Paste," self.com, "The Wall Street Journal," "The Week" In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are. FRANCE, 1939 In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as …More

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances By Gaiman, Neil 2015-02 - William Morrow & Company 9780062330260 Check Our Catalog From one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved storytellers of our time comes a major new collection of stories and verse "We each have our little triggers . . . things that wait for us in the dark corridors of our lives." So says Neil Gaiman in his introduction to Trigger Warning, a remarkable compendium of twenty-five stories and poems that explore the transformative power of …More

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel By Horowitz, Anthony 2011-11 - Mulholland Books 9780316196994 Check Our Catalog For the first time since the death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a new Sherlock Holmes story has been sanctioned by his estate, whetting the appetites of fans everywhere. Information about the book will be revealed as deliberately as Holmes himself would unravel a knotty case, but bestselling novelist and Holmes expert Horowitz is sure to bring a compelling, atmospheric story to life. 320 pp. …More

Khan Academy and Salman Khan By Wolff, Ariana 2015-01 - Rosen Young Adult 9781477779279 Check Our Catalog …More

I Almost Forgot about You By McMillan, Terry 2016-06 - Crown Publishing Group (NY) 9781101902578 Check Our Catalog The #1 "New York "Times bestselling author of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back "and "Waiting To Exhale" is back with the inspiring story of a woman who shakes things up in her life to find greater meaning In"I Almost Forgot About You," Dr. Georgia Young's wonderful life--great friends, family, and successful career--aren't enough to keep her from feeling stuck and restless. When she …More

Who Is Muhammad Ali? By Buckley, Jim Author Buckley, James Illustrator Marchesi, Stephen 2014-07 - Grosset & Dunlap 9780448479552 Check Our Catalog Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. won the world heavyweight championship at the age of 22, the same year he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He would go on to become known as OThe GreatestONand one of the world's most famous cultural icons. Illustrations. …More

Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas By Hooks, Gwendolyn Illustrator Bootman, Colin 2016-05 - Lee & Low Books 9781620141564 Check Our Catalog Vivien Thomas's greatest dream was to attend college to study medicine. But after the stock market crashed in 1929, Vivien lost all his savings. Then he heard about a job opening at the Vanderbilt University medical school under the supervision of Dr. Alfred Blalock. Vivien knew that the all-white school would never admit him as a student, but he hoped working there meant he was getting closer …More

Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust By Roy, Jennifer Illustrator Owenson, Meg 2015-08 - Capstone Young Readers 9781623704254 Check Our Catalog Amid the horrors of World War II, Irena Sendler was an unlikely and unsung hero. While many people lived in fear of the Nazis, Irena defied them, even though it could have meant her life. This gripping true story of a woman who took it upon herself to help save 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust is not only inspirational it's unforgettable." …More

Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar By Carle, Eric 2015-12 - Grosset & Dunlap 9780448489322 Check Our Catalog Celebrate love with #1 "New York Times"Best-Selling Title You are the cherry on my cake; you make the sun shine brighter; you make my heart flutter. Using a range of images from the World of Eric Carle, and featuring the Very Hungry Caterpillar, this special gift book gives all the reasons why someone special makes the world a better and brighter place. Perfect for that someone specialany day …More

Zeke Meeks Vs the Big Blah-Rific Birthday By Green, D. L. Illustrator Alves, Josh 2013-01 - Picture Window Books 9781404876378 Check Our Catalog Like any young boy, Zeke has his share of problems. His little sister sings embarrassing princess songs around his friends. He has a deep, dark secret of his own (he's terrified of bugs ). And his biggest enemy is a tiny, evil girl with razor-sharp fingernails. It's Zeke Meeks versus the world …More

The One and Only Ivan By Applegate, Katherine Illustrator Castelao, Patricia 2012-01 - HarperTorch 9780061992254 Check Our Catalog Awards: Black-Eyed Susan Award (2014), Bluebonnet Awards (2013), Bluebonnet Awards (2014), Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (2013), Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (2015), Christopher Awards (2013), Cybils (2012), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2014), E.B. White Read Aloud Award (2013), Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (2013), Golden Archer Award (2014), Grand Canyon Reader Award (2015), Great Stone Face Book Award (2013), Kentucky Bluegrass Award (2014), Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (2015), Maine Student Book Award (2014), Massachusetts Children's Book Award (2016), Nene Award (2014), Nene Award (2015), Nene Award (2016), Newbery Medal (2013), North Carolina Children's Book Award (2016), Nutmeg Book Award (2016), Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2014), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award (2015), Rhode Island Children's Book Awards (2014), Sequoyah Book Awards (2015), Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (2014), Virginia Readers Choice Award (2014), Volunteer State Book Awards (2015), West Virginia Children's Book Award (2014), Young Reader's Choice Award (2015) Bestselling author Applegate presents an unforgettable and uplifting tween animal fantasy that explores the power of friendship, art, and hope with humor and touching poignancy. Illustrations. …More

Malice at the Palace By Bowen, Rhys 2015-08 - Berkley Books 9780425260388 Check Our Catalog Awards: Agatha Awards (2015) From the"New York Times" betselling author of"Queen of Hearts"comes another mystery for "fans of P.G. Wodehouse looking for laughs mingled with some amateur sleuthing." ("Publishers Weekly") Lady Georgiana Rannoch won't deny that being thirty-fifth in line for the British throne has its advantages. Unfortunately, money isn't one of them. And sometimes making ends meet requires her to investigate …More

Titans By Meacham, Leila 2016-04 - Grand Central Publishing 9781455533831 Check Our Catalog A sweeping new drama from the beloved, bestselling author of "Roses." Texas in the early 1900s, its inhabitants still traveling by horseback and barely familiar with the telephone, was on the cusp of an oil boom that, unbeknownst to its residents, would spark a period of dramatic changes and economic growth. In the midst of this transformative time in Southern history, two unforgettable …More

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis By Egan, Timothy 2012-10 - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) 9780618969029 Check Our Catalog Awards: ALA Notable Books (2013), Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence (2013), Chautauqua Prize (2013) How a lone man's epic obsession led to one of America's greatest cultural treasures: Prize-winning writer Timothy Egan tells the riveting, cinematic story behind the most famous photographs in Native American history -- and the driven, brilliant man who made them. …More