Staff Picks
December 2020
Admission
by Julie Buxbaum
Straight from current headlines, this novel centers on the college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe Berringer is excited about getting into her dream college until the FBI show up at her door. Then she becomes entangled in her parents’ deceit, her possible own involvement, and the impact of learning that others don’t believe you can be successful without their help. Emotions run high between family and friends as they try to come to terms with the legal, ethical, and emotional issues the scandal has triggered.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Goodbye, Mr. Terupt
by Rob Buyea
Book 4 in this popular series sees Mr. Terupt announcing that he will be moving away at the end of the school year. Jeffrey, Alexia, Anna, Danielle, Luke, Peter, and Jessica, who have known him since 5th grade are now 8th graders and have him as their advisor. This group needs advising with their many different issues—physical, emotional, or relational. The students come up with a bucket-list of projects to make the last year memorable for them all and beyond.
Submitted by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Breaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey League
by Angie Bullaro
At the age of 5, Manon played goalie for her father’s team in Canada. She went on to become the first woman to play in the Pee-Wee tournament, Junior hockey league, and on an NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. As times changed from the 1970s and more women played hockey, she was also a member of the 1998 first women’s hockey team in the Olympics playing for Team Canada.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Biographies
Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of
by Helaine Becker
Emmy Noether is not well known, from how to pronounce her name to the many accomplishments in science she achieved. Her name is pronounced NER-ter and she was female, German, and Jewish, which is why in the 1930s her contributions to science were claimed by male scientists or used by them with no credit to her. She eventually had to flee Nazi Germany for America, where she was able to teach at Bryn Mawr College. Besides Noether’s theorem, which helps understand the universe, she developed math concepts to help understand the atom, develop computer software, and saved Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Biographies
A Darker Shade of Magic
by V.E. Schwab
Kell is an Antari, a rare magic user that has to ability not only to perform a variety of spells, but can travel to the different versions of London. Grey London is completely without magic, White London has magic, but it is also run by a corrupt sibling duo that limits what can be done. Red London, Kell’s home, is a magical place where magic is found everywhere. Finally, there is Black London, a place that is all but lost and no one ever visits. When Kell is given an artifact from one London and brings it to another, he soon realizes that he was set up to be taken down by his enemies. With the help of Lila Bard, a pickpocket from Grey London, Kell must do what he can to get rid of the powerful relic. This first book of a series can be found in the library as well as on Hoopla.
Recommended by: Brandi Smits, Youth Services Manager
Posted in: Adult Fiction
Something’s Wrong With Us
by Natsumi Ando
Posted in: Adult Fiction
November 2020
Orange for the Sunsets
by Tina Athaide
Asha, an Indian, and Yesofu, an African, are best friends in Uganda. When Idi Amin seizes control of the government, he requires all Indians to leave Uganda regardless of their citizenship. Asha’s father wants to leave but her mother does not. What ensues is a harrowing story of looking for sense amidst chaos.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Youth Fiction
City of Ghosts
by Victoria Schwab
Cassidy has the ability to ‘lift’ the veil between the living and the dead. When her parents take her to Edinbugh to research ghosts, she and her best friend, Jacob, find out how dangerous it is to slip back and forth between the veil. This title is also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
Free Lunch
by Rex Ogle
In this intense autobiography of the first semester of Rex’s sixth grade, Rex is embarrassed that he’s on the free lunch program at school and tries to hide it from his classmates. His home life is fairly unhappy as he never knows where his next meal is coming from, when he’ll have to watch his little brother and if he’ll get hit by either his mother or stepfather. This title is also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager
Posted in: Youth Biographies
I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov lays down the Three Laws of Robotics in this series of interconnected short stories. Witness the rise of robots, from their beginnings as household curiosities to the super intelligent computers that manage the entire planet. The stories include a family drama where parents worry that their daughter is too attached to the house’s robot, a mystery where investigators must find a particular robot hiding in a shipment of dozens of robots, and an election drama where one candidate is accused of being a life-like robot and must prove his humanity. This title is also available on OverDrive.
Recommended by: Peter Tew, Adult Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Adult Fiction