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Staff Picks for April 2026 |
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Gotcha Day
by Deborah Kerbel
In this sweet rhyming picture book, a stray dog wanders through a neighborhood, dirty and hungry, until he's brought to a local rescue center where he gets fed, groomed and perfumed--and finally finds his forever home when a young girl and her family adopt him.
Picture Book
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While We're Here
by Anne Wynter
Anne Wynter perfectly captures the hurry and hustle of a busy day. But when plans change and a girl and her mother slow down to savor small pleasures, the real celebration begins. Dazzling, kaleidoscopic cut paper artwork from Caldecott Honor artist Micha Archer highlights each special moment in this sweet tribute to time spent together.
Picture Book
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Special
by Nancy F. Goodfellow
Madison has always helped and protected Meg. Why wouldn't she? They're M&M-best friends and always together. Meg's Down syndrome never mattered. Until they start junior high. Both girls are forced to figure out what makes them who they are-and who they really want to be. A story of loss, loyalty, and acceptance, Special is for any child who believes they need to change who they are in order to fit in.
Children's Fiction
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Goldfinches by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, is one of America's most beloved poets. Introducing her unforgettable words to children for the very first time, her poem "Goldfinches" joyfully observes the power of the natural world as only Mary Oliver can.
Children's Nonfiction |
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Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can by Seema Yasmin
Achieving her goals certainly wasn't easy; as a Palestinian Muslim girl born with cerebral palsy, Maysoon Zayid faced all sorts of challenges, both physical and societal. But Maysoon didn't dare give up. Instead, she followed her heart all the way to the screen and stage to become one of America's first ever women Muslim comedians and an actress on her favorite TV show.
Children's Nonfiction |
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Korobá the Case of the Missing Kolo
by Àlàbá Ònájìn
Set in Makoko the Nigerian fishing village, ten-year-old Korobâa helps her friend find who stole her wooden piggy bank before the annual harvest festival.
Children's Graphic Novel
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Toy With Me
by Megan Trainor
This seventh album marks a bold, confident era blending vulnerability with empowerment. Packed with catchy pop beats and sharp lyrics, it encourages self-acceptance over perfection. The lead track, "Still Don't Care," sets the tone, fun, cheeky, and growth-driven, reflecting Meghan's focus on happiness and authenticity.
Adult Music CD
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Songs About Us by Jason AldeanHis twelfth studio album features twenty new tracks that highlight his signature mix of high-energy anthems and heartfelt storytelling. The project reflects his evolution as a country artist and reinforces his influence in the genre. With a career marked by chart-topping hits, major awards, and a loyal fanbase, Aldean continues to define modern country music through bold sound, emotional depth, and enduring popularity.
Adult Music CD
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Devious Prey by Scott Reintgen
An airship embarks on a standard journey, but its passenger list is anything but usual: it includes Marken Burke, a young wizard who's being transported as a prisoner to be tried for mass murder, and Pearl Trask, the daughter of a pig farmer who is using the trip to smuggle an extremely dangerous creature: a dragoness. Disaster ensues when the ship’s windmaster dies, the ship crashes on a mysterious island, and the dragoness escapes, returning to pick off the crash survivors, one-by-one. Marken, Pearl, and the other passengers are forced to work together to survive, but secrets and ulterior motives may prove to be their undoing. Readers who favor innovative magic systems, unusual takes on dragon mythology, and morally gray protagonists will find much to enjoy in this action-packed teen fantasy.
Teen Fiction |
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Right as Rain by Tashie Bhuiyan
Recent high-school graduate Megh Rashid feels like she’s living under a cloud: she’s desperate to leave her home, made both lonely and unsafe by her excessively critical, constantly fighting parents, but her one escape plan, attending a college across the country, is foiled when she is waitlisted for the school. Just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, she is struck by lightning and awakens to discover that she is now literally under a cloud: her emotions have the ability to influence the weather in her immediate vicinity. As her constant depression leads to unexpected rainstorms, which complicate her life and her summer internship, Megh turns to a fellow intern, Lev, who is studying meteorology, for help. She’s looking for scientific ways to put a stop to the rain; Lev, though, sees to the heart of the issue, and works to help Megh discover ways that she can be happy. Asking the question “what if we literally had to face our emotional state?,” Right as Rain is a thoughtful look at the impact of mental health struggles. Warm friendships, a dash of romance, and Megh’s character growth help teen readers navigate through the difficult issues presented in the story with a sense of hope.
Teen Fiction |
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River of Bones and Other Stories by Rebecca Roanhorse
This collection by Nebula and Hugo award winning author Roanhorse reflects the first 8 years of her writing career and includes a novella set in her Sixth World universe and a mix of fantasy, sci fi, and horror short stories. "A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy” explores the tradition of celestial-based storytelling, set in a future where virtual reality is nearly indistinguishable from the real world and celebrities can project their images into space as literal stars. "Eye and Tooth" is a story of black horror about the hunters who hunt the monsters and the monstrous among us. In “The Boys From Blood River,” a depressed young man summons a group of cowboy vampires who want him to join them. Both Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews recommend this “enthralling collection” (Library Journal) for Roanhorse fans and newbies alike, and Kirkus praises the ways the stories showcase Roanhorse’s ability to “always [be] one step ahead, pivoting before you can guess what she'll do next.”
Adult Fiction |
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Upward Bound by Woody Brown
Upward Bound is the name of a dreary adult daycare center for Los Angeles's disabled community and, for many of its clients and staff, a place of last resort. This includes Carlos, a young aide who lost his mother as a boy and now works there alongside his beloved sister Delia; Jorge, the gentle nonverbal giant whom Carlos seeks to befriend (and prevent from escaping); Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, who pines for Ann, the summer lifeguard at the center's pool, who feels out of her depth; and Mike, Upward Bound's director who came to L.A. to pursue an acting career but now channels his passion into staging an impressive holiday show starring the center's sorely underestimated clients. Our guide to the lives of each of these characters is Walter, a recent community college graduate who, after a family tragedy, must return to the company of his disabled peers and who, like Upward Bound’s author, is nonspeaking and autistic. Walter explains the motivation for his narration: "The story of my people isn't being told, or it's being told wrong.” Booklist calls Upward Bound “quietly surprising and gently enlightening,” and praises “Brown's sly sense of humor and ability to inhabit, without condescension, the experiences of those often marginalized.”
Adult Fiction |
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This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage
Ride along with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage as she travels the country to see the museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, reenactments, and souvenir shops where Americans learn--and fight--about our history. From the birth of the nation in Philadelphia to Disneyland and the California dream, This Land Is Your Land offers a guided tour of thirteen places and thirteen key moments that define America's greatest successes and challenges.
Adult Nonfiction |
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Just Between Us
by Adeline Kon
A figure skater grapples with the pressure to perform and her changing feelings when her competitor starts training at the same rink.
Teen Graphic Novel
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Alter Ego
by Lisa Manobal
Step into a neon-drenched cyberpunk city where Vixi--a quiet tech genius--prefers fixing arcade machines to seeking the spotlight. Despite her reserved nature, she becomes the unexpected bond that unites four remarkable friends. When three ruthless bullies trap Vixi in a virtual reality nightmare, her friends dive headfirst into the digital battleground, proving that while Vixi may work alone, she never has to fight alone.
Adult Graphic Novel
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La Golondrina by Sonia De Los Santos
This joyful story captures a young girl's fascination with the migratory swallow that sings in the trees outside her grandmother's home in Mexico. With dreamlike wistfulness, she speaks to the bird about the long journey northward that it is about to undertake to find food and a new home--much like the one her own father is making, and the one she will someday make too.
Esta alegre historia captura la fascinación de una niña por la golondrina migratoria que canta en los árboles fuera de la casa de su abuela en México. Con una melancolía onírica, ella habla con el ave sobre el viaje largo hacia el norte que está a punto de emprender en busca de alimento y un nuevo hogar, muy parecido al que su propio padre está haciendo, y al que ella hará algún día también.
Spanish Picture Book |
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El Cielo Está Vacío by Sara Jaramillo Klinkert
A coming-of-age story about sexual awakening, about igniting the fire in a society that is determined to extinguish it, about feeling invisible and out of place, about how we become who we really are and the things we have to give up to achieve it.
Una historia de madurez sobre el despertar sexual, sobre encender el fuego en una sociedad que se empeña en apagarlo, sobre sentirse invisible y fuera de lugar, sobre cómo llegamos a convertirnos en quienes realmente somos y las cosas a las que tenemos que renunciar para lograrlo.
Spanish Adult Ficion |
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Hijos de la Adversidad by Antonio Valenzuela
In this book, the author explains that health depends much more on your daily habits than on genetics or luck. Therefore, improving habits such as moving, eating real food, managing stress, and reconnecting with nature can improve your health.
En este libro, el autor explica que la salud depende mucho más de tus habitos diarios que de la genética o la suerte. Por lo tanto, mejorar hábitos como moverse más, comer alimentos de verdad, manejar el estrés y reconectar con la naturaleza puede mejorar la salud.
Spanish Adult Nonfiction |
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