|
STAFF PICKS Janet Gallagher Teen & Reference Librarian
|
|
|
The Martian : a novel
by Andy Weir
Stranded on Mars by a dust storm that compromised his space suit and forced his crew to leave him behind, astronaut Watney struggles to survive in spite of minimal supplies and harsh environmental challenges that test his ingenuity in unique ways. A first novel.
|
|
|
The yellow bird sings
by Jennifer Rosner
A mother who goes into hiding when Nazis begin arresting Jewish citizens in Poland considers an impossible choice while struggling to keep her 5-year-old daughter, a musical prodigy, from being overheard. By the award-winning author of The Mitten String.
|
|
|
Labor Day
by 1953- Maynard, Joyce
The author tells a story of love, sexual passion, painful adolescence and devastating betrayal as seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy--and the man he later becomes--looking back on the events of a single long, hot and life-altering weekend. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.
|
|
|
The brilliant life of Eudora Honeysett : a novel
by Annie Lyons
Wanting to organize an assisted death on her own terms, a world-weary octogenarian forges an unexpected bond with an exuberant 10-year-old who drags her to tea parties, shopping sprees and other social excursions. 100,000 first printing.
|
|
|
An unwanted guest
by 1960- Lapeña, Shari
Weathering a storm that has cut them off from the outside world, the guests at a Catskills skiing lodge panic as an unknown assailant starts killing them off one by one. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Couple Next Door
|
|
|
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
Two half-sisters, unknown to each other, are born into different villages in 18th-century Ghana and experience profoundly different lives and legacies throughout subsequent generations marked by wealth, slavery, war, coal mining, the Great Migration and the realities of 20th-century Harlem.
|
|
|
All the children are home : a novel
by Patry Francis
A foster family in a small Massachusetts town in the 1950s agrees to take in a young, indigenous girl who has been horribly abused and neglected and discover that the stranger has strengthened their family bonds. Original. 150,000 first printing.
|
|
|
The Pillars of the earth
by Ken Follett
Set in twelfth-century England, this epic of kings and peasants juxtaposes the building of a magnificent church with the violence and treachery that often characterized the Middle Ages
|
|
|
Hour of the witch
by Chris Bohjalian
A resourceful Puritan woman in 1662 Boston plots to escape a violent marriage only to find herself targeted by her disapproving and superstitious neighbors for failing to save a child’s life. By the best-selling author of The Red Lotus.
|
|
|
This is happiness
by 1958- Williams, Niall
A young man’s first experiences of falling in and out of love are shaped by the arrival of electricity in his small western seaboard village, an enigmatic woman and a mysterious drought. By the author of Four Letters of Love.
|
|
|
Jurassic Park : a novel
by 1942-2008 Crichton, Michael
An American bioengineering research firm erects a theme park on a Caribbean island, complete with living dinosaurs, and invites a group of scientists to be its first terrified guests
|
|
|
The midnight library
by 1975- Haig, Matt
A new novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived. By the internationally best-selling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time
|
|
|
This is how it always is
by Laurie Frankel
A family reshapes their ideas about family, love and loyalty when youngest son Claude reveals increasingly determined preferences for girls' clothing and accessories and refuses to stay silent. By the author of Goodbye for Now. (general fiction).
|
|
|
A man called Ove : a novel
by Fredrik Backman
A curmudgeon hides beneath a cranky and short-tempered exterior a terrible personal loss while clashing with new neighbors, a boisterous family whose chattiness and habits lead to unexpected friendship. A first novel by the Swedish author of Things My Son Needs to Know About Life.
|
|
|
Jaws
by Peter Benchley
When three people are killed by a great white shark in three different incidents, the police chief of a Long Island resort town is forced to take action
|
|
|
Zorrie : a novel
by Laird Hunt
Cast adrift in the Depression-era West after the last of her relatives pass away, Zorrie survives by working at a radium processing plant before finding love, community and unexpected loss upon returning to her small Indiana hometown. 60,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Pachinko
by Min Jin Lee
In early 1900s Korea, prized daughter Sunja finds herself pregnant and alone, bringing shame on her family until a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and bring her to Japan, in the saga of one family bound together as their faith and identity are called into question. Reading-group guide available. By a national best-selling author. 150,000 first printing.
|
|
|
The flight attendant
by 1962- Bohjalian, Chris
A binge-drinking flight attendant wakes up in an unfamiliar hotel room beside a dead body and sneaks back to her work, telling a series of lies that complicate her ability to figure out what really happened. By the best-selling author of Midwives. Read by Erin Spencer, Grace Experience and Mark Deakins. Simultaneous.
|
|
|
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America's last true frontier ... At first Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers ... But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt's fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture.
|
|
|
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
For years, rumors of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild, unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark. But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved.
|
|
|
A Map of the Dark
by Karen Ellis
Racing against time to find a teenage girl who has gone missing from Queens, FBI agent Elsa Myers navigates a frustrating series of false leads while enduring the collapse of her own carefully compartmentalized world, shaped by her experiences of being lost, her painful past and her father's terminal illness.
|
|
|
Unbroken : a World War II story of survival, resilience, and redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
Tells the gripping true story of a U.S. airman who was the soul surviver when his bomber crashed into the sea during World War II and had to face thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. By the #1 best-selling author of Seabiscuit.
|
|
|
How we got to now : six innovations that made the modern world
by 1968- Johnson, Steven
An illustrated history of innovation shares lesser-known stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes, examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields and reveals how important inventions have had unintended consequences. By the best-selling author of Where Good Ideas Come From. 100,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Finding Sanctuary
by Barry Van Dusen
A richly illustrated diary-style narrative, serving as a showcase and celebration of Mass Audubon's wildlife sanctuaries across Massachusetts. Over the course of four-and-a-half years, internationally recognized nature artist Barry Van Dusen visited all of Mass Audubon's 61 wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers and museums, creating drawings and paintings at each location. This book celebrates the richness, beauty and ecological diversity of Massachusetts and the Mass Audubon sanctuary system, as seen through the eyes of a wandering artist/naturalist. The book includes a foreword by John Hanson Mitchell, and an opening chapter by Barry in which he discusses his artistic practices in field and studio
|
|
|
Hill women : finding family and a way forward in the Appalachian Mountains
by Cassie Chambers
"Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Owsley County is one of the poorest counties in both Kentucky and the country. Buildings are crumbling and fields sit vacant, as tobacco farming and coal mining decline. But strong women find creative ways to subsist in their hollers in the hills. Cassie Chambers grew up amidst these hollers, and through the women who raised her, she traces her own path out of and back into the Kentucky mountains. Cassie's Granny was a child bride who rose before dawn every morning to raise seven children. Despite her poverty, she wouldn't hesitate to give the last bite of pie or vegetables from her garden to a struggling neighbor. Her two daughters took very different paths: strong-willed Ruth--the hardest-working tobacco farmer inthe county--stayed on the family farm, while spirited Wilma--the sixth child--became the first in the family to graduate from high school, then moved an hour away for college. Married at nineteen and pregnant with Cassie a few months later, Wilma beat the odds to finish school. She raised her daughter to think she could move mountains, like the ones that kept her safe but also isolated her from the larger world. Cassie would spend much of her childhood with Granny and Ruth in the hills of Owsley County, both while Wilma was in collrge and after. With her "hill women" values guiding her, Cassie went on to graduate from Harvard Law. But while the Ivy League gave her knowledge and opportunities, its privileged world felt far from her reality, and she moved back home to help her fellow rural Kentucky women by providing free legal services. Appalachian women face issues that are all too common: domestic violence, the opioid crisis, a world that seems more divided by the day. But they are also community leaders, keeping their towns together in the face of a system that continually fails them. With nuance and heart, Chambers uses these women's stories paired with her own journey to break down the myth of the hillbilly and illuminate a region whose poor communities, especially women, can lead it into the future"
|
|
|
Becoming
by Michelle Obama
An intimate and uplifting memoir by the former First Lady chronicles the experiences that have shaped her remarkable life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago through her setbacks and achievements in the White House.
|
|
|
The good good pig : the extraordinary life of Christopher Hogwood
by Sy Montgomery
An ardent nature lover and author of Journey of the Pink Dolphins describes her unique friendship with a pig named Christopher Hogwood, a once sickly piglet who helped her develop a new relationship with neighbors in her small-town community that gave her an anchor to family and home. Reader's Guide available. 25,000 first printing.
|
|
|
The book of joy : Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
by 1935- Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV
Two leading spiritual masters share their wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity, sharing personal stories and teachings about the science of profound happiness and the daily practices that anchor their emotional and spiritual lives
|
|
|
Being mortal : medicine and what matters in the end
by Atul Gawande
A prominent surgeon argues against modern medical practices that extend life at the expense of quality of life while isolating the dying, outlining suggestions for freer, more fulfilling approaches to death that enable more dignified and comfortable choices.
|
|
|
Becoming
by 1964- Obama, Michelle
An intimate and uplifting memoir by the former First Lady chronicles the experiences that have shaped her remarkable life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago through her setbacks and achievements in the White House. Simultaneous.
|
|
|
Being mortal : medicine and what matters in the end
by Atul Gawande
A prominent surgeon argues against modern medical practices that extend life at the expense of quality of life while isolating the dying, outlining suggestions for freer, more fulfilling approaches to death that enable more dignified and comfortable choices. By the author of The Checklist Manifesto. Read by Robert Petkoff. Simultaneous.
|
|
|
Heartstopper. Volume 1
by Alice Oseman
A heartwarming celebration of friendship, first love and coming out follows the unlikely relationship between a shy teen and a popular rugby player who become more than friends while navigating the ups and downs of high school. By the author of Radio Silence. Simultaneous and eBook. Illustrations.
|
|
|
Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
When Cinder, a gifted cyborg with a mysterious past, becomes entangled with the handsome Prince Kai, she finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle to save humankind from a deadly plague and ruthless lunar beings.
|
|
|
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda
by Becky Albertalli
Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else his sexual identity—and that of his pen pal—will be revealed. Simultaneous eBook. 50,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Life as we knew it
by 1948- Pfeffer, Susan Beth
When a meteor pushes the moon closer to the earth, setting into motion a series of destructive weather events that wipe out coasts, rock the continents, and block out the sun, Miranda and her family must find a way to survive in a desperate and unfamiliar world.
|
|
|
Every day
by David Levithan
Waking up in the body of a different person every day and struggling to pass through each experience without raising alarm, "A" endures a lonely existence before falling in love with a girl named Rhiannon, with whom he endeavors to reunite.
|
|
|
A tree grows in Brooklyn
by 1896-1972 Smith, Betty
A new edition of the classic novel, featuring a new foreword by best-selling author Anna Quindlen, follows young Francie Nolan, who is armed with her idealism and determination, as she struggles to escape from the poverty of life in a Brooklyn tenement during the early 1900s. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Infinite in between
by Carolyn Mackler
Making a pact to reunite at graduation after meeting during freshman orientation, five teens struggle with family dynamics, heartbreak and shifting senses of identity while changing in unanticipated ways. By the award-winning author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. Simultaneous eBook. 60,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Torn away
by 1972- Brown, Jennifer
A tale set in the aftermath of a devastating tornado finds Midwestern teen Jersey Cameron struggling with the loss of her mother, younger sister and home after being sent to live with other family members, who help her confront painful family dynamics. Simultaneous eBook. 20,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Shout : a poetry memoir
by Laurie Halse Anderson
A poetic memoir and urgent call-to-action by the award-winning author of Speak blends free-verse reflections with deeply personal stories from her life to rally today's young people to stand up and fight the abuses, censorship and hatred of today's world. Simultaneous eBook
|
|
|
Fever, 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic. Reader's Guide available. Reprint.
|
|
|
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Set in the cruel world in the Capital of the nation of Panem, the annual Hunger Games pits young children against one another in a battle to the death on national t.v., so when Katniss is ordered to represent her district, she knows an important decision between survival and the love of another will have to be made when she is called to enter the ring. 75,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Some girls do
by Jennifer Dugan
"An openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars"
|
|
|
March. Book one
by 1940 February 21- Lewis, John
A first-hand account of the author's lifelong struggle for civil and human rights spans his youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement
|
|
|
Ashes in the snow
by Ruta Sepetys
In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family, includes a historical note
|
|
|
Look both ways : a tale told in ten blocks
by Jason Reynolds
A whimsical exploration of the role detours play in life follows a group of students who become so engaged in everyday activities while taking 10 different routes home from school that they fail to notice a school bus that has dropped from the sky. By the award-winning author of Ghost. 200,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations.
|
|
|
The hill we climb : an inaugural poem for the country
by 1998- Gorman, Amanda
"On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope toviewers around the globe. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this keepsake celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry"
|
|
|
Fatal throne : the wives of Henry VIII tell all
by M. T Anderson
Evocative first-person accounts by such award-winning and best-selling authors as M. T. Anderson, Linda Sue Park and Jennifer Donnelly reimagine the tragic lives of Henry VIII and his six wives. Simultaneous eBook.
|
|
|
I will always write back : how one letter changed two lives
by Caitlin Alifirenka
Traces the friendship between an American girl and her pen pal from an impoverished region of Zimbabwe, describing how 12-year-old Caitlin wrote to an unknown student for a class assignment and shared a life-changing six-year correspondence. Simultaneous eBook. 35,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Turning 15 on the road to freedom : my story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March
by 1950- Lowery, Lynda Blackmon
A 50th-anniversary tribute shares the story of the youngest person to complete the momentous Selma to Montgomery March, describing her frequent imprisonments for her participation in nonviolent demonstrations and how she felt about her involvement in historic Civil Rights events. Simultaneous eBook.
|
|
|
A boy and his dog at the end of the world
by 1960- Fletcher, Charlie
When a beloved family dog is stolen, her boy owner sets out on a life-changing journey through the ruins of a dystopian world to bring her back. 75,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Darius the Great is not okay
by Adib Khorram
A Persian-American youth who prefers pop culture to the traditions of his mixed family struggles with clinical depression and the misunderstandings of older relatives while bonding with a boy who helps him embrace his Iranian heritage. A first novel. Simultaneous eBook.
|
|
|
The war that saved my life
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother. Simultaneous eBook.
|
|
|
The house in the cerulean sea
by TJ Klune
Given a curious classified assignment to evaluate the potential risks posed by six supernatural orphans, a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth bonds with an enigmatic caregiver who hides dangerous secrets.
|
|
|
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
by Karina Yan Glaser
Informed by their landlord that he will not be renewing their lease on the home where they have always lived, the five Vanderbeeker siblings decide to prove to their curmudgeonly landlord just how wonderful they are as tenants. A first novel. Simultaneous eBook. 30,000 first printing.
|
|
|
The ogress and the orphans
by Kelly Regan Barnhill
In Stone-in-the-Glen, which has fallen on hard times, the Orphans of Orphan House, when a child goes missing and their Ogress is accused, must prove her innocence to the town and expose the real villain in their midst. 250,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook.
|
|
|
The underground abductor / : An Abolitionist Tale
by Nathan Hale
A graphically illustrated introduction to the life and achievements of Harriet Tubman depicts her escape from slavery in the mid-19th century and her life-risking dedication to helping runaway slaves find freedom north of the Mason-Dixon line. 25,000 first printing.
|
|
|
Guts
by Raina Telgemeier
Developing a chronic stomachache that she initially dismisses as a bug, young Raina discovers that her symptoms are related to her anxieties about school, food and changing friendships, in a story based on the Eisner Award-winning author’s childhood. Simultaneous. Illustrations.
|
|
|
|
|
|