Welcome to another round of staff picks! We’ve got a great line-up for you this week! If you want to see what else our team has been reading, consider checking out last week’s selection here.
Alex (Circulation) recommends: Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton
Category: Adult Graphic Novel
Alex says: Step Aside, Pops is Kate Beaton’s masterful follow-up to her collection of Hark! A Vagrant. A brilliant satirist, Beaton darts from one subject to the next, from the idiosyncrasies of the life of a medieval peasant to Wuthering Heights. Delivered in her inimitable scrawling style, this graphic novel is a great recommendation for anyone interested in North American history, literature, or pop culture.
Katie (Youth Services) recommends: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Category: Juvenile Fiction
Katie says: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley tackles an unpleasant topic, but one that is all too prevalent in today’s world, directly and with compassion. This is intended as a Middle Grade book due to mature subject matter. 10 year old Della has always been able to count on her teenage sister Suki through thick and thin, but Suki has a secret that is causing her to have nightmares. Della and Suki were there for each other through parental incarceration, abandonment, the foster care system, sexual abuse, and suicide attempts. The bond between the two sisters is inspiring and provides hope and direction for those who may not have any due to similar circumstances.
Carla (Adult Services) recommends: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Category: Young Adult Fiction
The Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson is young adult fiction, and it blends the mysteries at a modern-day elite boarding school with the kidnappings and deaths that happened a hundred years before. Ellingham Academy in Vermont is a school for geniuses. The students are talented musicians, engineers, writers, and artists. And one student, Stevie Bell, has a genius for solving crime. Stevie knows more than anyone alive about the infamous Ellingham kidnappings, and she’s come to school to solve the cold case. Soon, though, she has a fresh mystery to solve as strange things start happening on campus…and a student ends up dead. This three-book series, starting with Truly Devious, will challenge readers to puzzle out who to trust and is by turns funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful.
Tom (Technical Services) recommends: Shadows of the Master by Emily Rodda
Category: Juvenile Fiction
Tom says: Star of Deltora is the newest book series from one of my favorite authors, Emily Rodda. She weaves masterful stories in her fictional world of Deltora, and this latest outing is great for current fans or newcomers alike. Through each book you’ll be living by your wits on the high seas, running from a powerful sorcerer, and exploring a mysterious world full of monsters and magic. Ms. Rodda proves time and again that juvenile fiction can be enjoyed by adults just as much as kids! Plus, if you enjoy the Star of Deltora books, you can check out Emily Rodda’s other works through SearchOhio to continue the adventure through the world of Deltora! If you choose to make the trip, I wish you safe travels, friends!
Andrew (Administration) recommends: Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw by Charles Leerhsen
Category: Adult Non-Fiction
Andrew says: A fantastic and realistic look at the old west, dispelling myths while confirming many realities of outlaw life in the 1880s. Though not the main focus, the author does a wonderful job of juxtaposing the classic Paul Newman and Robert Redford film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid with the real-life banditos yankees.
