Greensboro Free Library
“What makes King’s work so much more frightening than that of most other suspense writers, what elevates it to night-terror levels, isn’t his cruelty to his characters: It’s his kindness.” —Flynn Berry, New York Times Book Review
ADULT FICTION
“Around the World in Eighty Days: A New Translation” by Jules Verne — “This new and completely original translation of Around the World in Eighty Days renders Jules Verne’s classic novel in a style that is both more understandable and more faithful to the spirit of the original French text than the commonly reprinted older English editions.” — Amazon.com
“Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” by Olga Tokarczuk — “While it adopts the straightforward structure of a murder mystery, [the book features] macabre humor and morbid philosophical interludes [that] are distinctive to its author. . . [and an] excellent payoff at the finale. . . . As for Ms. Tokarczuk, there’s no doubt: She’s a gifted, original writer, and the appearance of her novels in English is a welcome development.”— The Wall Street Journal
“Land of Milk and Honey” by C. Pam Zhang — “Gloriously lush. Zhang’s sensuous style makes us see, smell and, above all, taste the lure of that sun-dappled mountain enclave. . . An atmospheric and poetically suspenseful novel about all manner of appetites: for power, food, love, life.”—NPR/Fresh Air
“North Woods” by Daniel Mason — “Brilliantly combines the granularity of realism with the timeless, shimmering allure of myth. . .Sui generis fiction . . . The forest and the trees: Mason keeps both in clear view in his eccentric and exhilarating novel.”—The New York Times Book Review
“The Horsewoman” by James Patterson and Mike Lupica — “This “hugely entertaining, riveting page-turner” (Louise Penny) follows the complicated relationship between mother and daughter as they face off in the Olympics—and into a ride they can barely control.” — Amazon.com
ADULT MYSTERY
“The Logmire Defense” by Craig Johnson — “[A] standout . . . The whodunit, which presents a dizzying number of red herrings, is one of Johnson’s trickiest, keeping readers deliciously off-balance throughout. Series newcomers will have no problem jumping into the action, and longtime readers will relish the dive into Longmire’s family history.” —Publishers Weekly
BLUE/DVD MOVIES
“Barbie”
BOARD BOOK
“Bizzy Bear: My First Memory Game: Vehicles” by Benji Davies
“Bizzy Bear: Pet Vet” by Benji Davies
JUVENILE GRAPHIC NOVELS
“Lost Legends of Nothing” by Alejandra Green and Fanny Rodriquez — “In vibrant lineless art that’s reminiscent of classic animated films, Green and Rodriguez bring the castles, towns, and forests in the world of Nothing to life with expressive characters, a smattering of Spanish and Esperanto, and a strong cliffhanger that leaves room for a second installment.” — Publishers Weekly
JUVENILE DVD MOVIES
“Elemental”
“The Little Mermaid”
JUVENILE NON-FICTION
“Climate Warriors: Fourteen Scientists and Fourteen Ways We Can Save Our Planet” by Laura Gehl — “The featured climate warriors are not only a balanced mix of men and women scientists with racial and ethnic diversity, but they also depict an amazing array of science itself, from ecology and materials science to psychology and economics.”―Booklist
“Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers” by Christina Couch and Cara Giaimo — “A perfect book for animal lovers, this narrative nonfiction book is a fascinating read about animals with super senses and how they can use those senses to help people complete important and frequently unusual tasks. . . the upbeat and entertaining text combined with the high-interest subject matter makes this book a great choice.” —School Library Connection
YOUNG ADULT GRAPHIC NOVEL
“A First Time for Everything” by Dan Santat — “Dan’s book manages to capture all the things that make you fall in love in the first place―awkwardness, humor, a bit of teen pathos, and most of all, sincerity and vulnerability.” ―LEUYEN PHAM, New York Times-bestselling illustrator of the Friends series
ADULT FICTION
“Abigail” by Magda Szabo — “Sequestered at a boarding school during World War II, a rebellious teenager confronts secrets, lies, and danger. . . . Urgent moral questions underlie a captivating mystery.” —Kirkus
“Augusta” by Celia Ryker — “In this novel inspired by the challenging life of the author’s grandmother, a woman is left to raise her four children alone during the 1920s… Smooth-flowing prose carries the tale forward at a steady pace… farm and city vignettes create vivid images of time, place, and economic class, and Augusta emerges as a formidable woman in the face of daunting odds. A historically evocative period drama that’s poignant and disquieting.”– Kirkus Reviews
“Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss and Vengenace” by Paulette Jiles — “In her richly lyrical prose, acclaimed author Jiles (Simon the Fiddler, 2020) turns to the waning weeks and months of the Civil War, a period when the scales of justice felt heavily tipped toward the war’s administrators and beneficiaries. Jiles uses John’s lawless quest to interrogate the inequalities in the justice system—inequalities that still echo loudly today.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Eastbound” by Maylis de Kerangal — “I read Maylis de Kerangal’s short novella Eastbound earlier this year, which is about a young Russian conscript who, once aboard the Trans-Siberian rail, decides to desert and meets a French woman who helps him. I haven’t stopped thinking about it . . . De Kerangal reminded me how transportive it is when an author successfully creates that itching desire to know what happens next—without forgoing an ounce of style.” —Maya Chung, The Atlantic““Eastbound” by Maylis de Kerangal — “I read Maylis de Kerangal’s short novella Eastbound earlier this year, which is about a young Russian conscript who, once aboard the Trans-Siberian rail, decides to desert and meets a French woman who helps him. I haven’t stopped thinking about it . . . De Kerangal reminded me how transportive it is when an author successfully creates that itching desire to know what happens next—without forgoing an ounce of style.” —Maya Chung, The Atlantic
“Heart Bones” by Colleen Hoover — “Sexy, brooding Samson, especially, is just the kind of hero Hoover readers thirst for. This is sure to scratch an itch for fans.” ― Publishers Weekly
“In Memoriam” by Alice Winn — “…When was the last time characters in a novel seemed so real to me, so cherishable, so alive? Alice Winn has made familiar history fresh; no account of the First World War has made me feel so vividly its horror, or how irrevocably it mutilated the world. That In Memoriam is also an extraordinary love story is a sign of Winn’s wild ambition and her prodigious gifts: this is a novel that claims both beauty and brutality, the whole range of human life.” —Garth Greenwell, author of Cleanness
“It Happened One Summer” by Tessa Bailey — “Bailey delivers on her usual trifecta of sharp banter, instant chemistry, and high-heat sex scenes, but they are coupled with intense soul-searching for both Piper and Brendan… Another winning romance from an author at the top of her game.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Kairos” by Jenny Erpenbeck — “Erpenbeck’s handling of characters caught within the mesh (and mess) of history is superb. Threats loom over their love and over their country. Hans is jealous, weak-willed, vindictive, Katharina self-abasing. At heart the book is about cruelty more than passion, about secrets, betrayal, and loss.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“Maggie Brown & Others” by Peter Orner — “This collection’s forty-four powerful tales express Orner’s talent for crafting captivating character sketches that read like memoirs…Readers will sympathize with Orner’s characters and identify with their all-too-human frailties.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Sold on a Monday” by Kristina McMorris — “The sale of two young children leads to devastating consequences in this historical tearjerker from McMorris… Set against the hardscrabble backdrop of the Great Depression, McMorris’s altruistic and sometimes damaged characters have moral compasses that realistically waver. A tender love story enriches a complex plot, giving readers a story with grit, substance, and rich historical detail.” ― Publishers Weekly
“The Book Club Hotel” by Sarah Morgan — “The Book Club Hotel is the kind of gift that arrives just when you most need it. Sarah Morgan has given us the perfect escape-and-find-yourself novel, featuring four very different women united by their shared love of books. Together, they illuminate the power of stories to validate and heal the heart, and the timeless bonds of friendship to keep us laughing, crying, and reading.” —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author
“The Cook” by Maylis de Kerangal — “Narrated with almost documentary-like precision . . . this portrait of self-taught chef Mauro is not just a beautifully delineated character study or inside look at a hard way to make a living but a perceptive meditation on the meaning of work itself . . . All this in just over 100 pages and done brilliantly. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“The Invisible Hour” by Alice Hoffman — “Alice Hoffman’s The Invisible Hour is a rich, immersive, magical reading experience. This beautiful novel is about the stories women tell each other and the ones that save us, about the price and peril of motherhood, and the difficulties women have faced throughout history in controlling their own fates. Alice Hoffman, the reigning queen of magical realism, takes her readers on a fantastic, mystical journey that celebrates the joy and power of reading and dares to believe in the impossible.” —Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds
“The Path to Sunshine Cove” by RaeAnne Thayne — “Thayne is a master at creating richly dimensional and kind characters from different generations who find themselves facing difficult challenges.”—Booklist on The Path to Sunshine Cove
“The Summer Job” by Lizzy Dent — “Beach Read meets Sweetbitter in this laugh-out-loud and ultimately heartwarming debut of a good friend’s very bad decision and the summer job that stands to ruin or make her life.” — Publisher Annotation
“The Vaster Wilds” by Lauren Groff — “Transcendent. Mesmerizing. Dazzling. Incandescent. Audacious….All of those descriptors are accurate and none of them are sufficient to describe just how spectacular [Groff’s] new book is.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“The Year of Second Chances” by Lara Very — “It speaks to Avery’s skill that the novel soars from this implausible beginning. While there is romance and there is humor, this is not (as it might first seem) a meet-cute rom-com. It’s a story about grief, and about finding a way to move ahead after a traumatic loss — even if ‘moving ahead’ might not mean what you think it does.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Us Against You” by Fredrik Backman — “Backman (A Man Called Ove) returns to the hockey-obsessed village of his previous novel Beartown to chronicle the passion, violence, resilience, and humanity of the people who live there in this engrossing tale of small-town Swedish life… Backman’s excellent novel has an atmosphere of both Scandinavian folktale and Greek tragedy. Darkness and grit exist alongside tenderness and levity, creating a blunt realism that brings the setting’s small-town atmosphere to vivid life.” ― Publishers Weekly
“Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus — “A crazy, and crazily enjoyable, beat-the-clock adventure story about fathers, sons, guilt and the mysteries of the sea . . . [Kraus] brings the rigor of a scientist and the sensibility of a poet to his descriptions of the undersea world.” —New York Times
ADULT MYSTERY
“The Hunting Party” by Lucy Foley — “Like a deliciously drawn out game of Clue, this novel brings together a group of Oxford friends at a remote Scottish highlands estate for the Christmas holidays….Foley paints such a vivid hunting-lodge-and-lochs setting that you’ll immediately be booking your own highland fling, clandestine killers or no.” — National Geographic
“The River We Remember” by William Kent Krueger — “Absorbing. . . combines nostalgic settings with depictions of the lingering hardships and traumas of war and the home front . . . in the decade after WWII.” —Booklist (starred review)
ADULT BIOGRAPHY
“Diary of an Invasion” by Andrey Kurkov — “Sergey is at once a war-weary adventurer and a fairy-tale innocent . . . His naive gaze allows Kurkov to get to the heart of a country bewildered by crisis and war, but where kindness can still be found . . . Translated by Boris Dralyuk with sensitivity and ingenuity.” —Uilleam Blacker, Times Literary Supplement
PICTURE BOOK
“The Little Blue Planet” by Anais La Rocca & Eve Grissinger
JUVENILE GRAPHIC NOVELS
“Class Act” by Jerry Craft — “A well-Crafted, visually rich, truth-telling tale for our troubled times that affirms the eternal importance of friends.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION
“The Rage” by Lassiter Williams — “The Rage is fast-paced, gripping, and beautifully written, with a cast of appealing, unusual characters who struggle in a strange and threatening world.” — Reeve Lindbergh–Two Lives
ADULT FICTION
“The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride — “Enchanting . . . [a] rich, carefully drawn portrait of a Depression-era community of African Americans and Jewish immigrants as they live, love, fight, and, of course, work.” —The Boston Globe
“Tom Lake” by Anne Patchett — “Tom Lake is about love in all its many forms. But it is also about death and the ephemeral and how everything goes by so damned fast. It is an elegy of sorts but also a promise that there will be magic no matter what.” — Los Angeles Review of Books
ADULT MYSTERY
“All the Sinners Bleed” by S. A. Cosby — “Riveting. . . What elevates this book is how Cosby weaves politically charged salient issues ― race, religion, policing ― through the prism of a serial murder investigation and the perspective of one of the most memorable heroes in contemporary crime fiction. . . Deeply moving and memorable.” ―Washington Post
“Chaos” by Iris Johansen — “Though Flynn is a new star in Johansen’s pantheon, her personification of familiar tropes of female strength, power, sexual attraction, and supernatural talents will make her an instant hit with Johansen’s many loyal fans.”―Booklist
“City of the Dead” by Jonathan Kellerman — “A gripping, readable thriller that combines elements of the police procedural, murder mystery, and psychological thriller genres.”—Booklist
“Mercy” by David Baldacci — “With an interesting storyline, amazing characters, and packed with action, fans are sure to love Mercy.”―Seattle Book Review
“No Way Out” by Fern Michaels — “Struggling to remember the accident leading to her boyfriend’s disappearance, a coma patient and video-game developer starts over in rural Mississippi, before an inexplicable reunion threatens everything she has rebuilt. By the best-selling author of the Sisterhood series.” — Atlas Publishing
“Ocean Prey” by John Sandford — “Entertaining. . . Fans will enjoy seeing the two old buddies and their cohorts wading into dangerous [sic] waters.”—Publishers Weekly
“Over My Dead Body” by Jeffrey Archer — “In London, the Metropolitan Police set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit―a cold case squad―to catch the criminals nobody else can. In Geneva, millionaire art collector Miles Faulkner―convicted of forgery and theft―was pronounced dead two months ago. So why is his unscrupulous lawyer still representing a dead client? On a luxury liner en route to New York, the battle for power at the heart of a wealthy dynasty is about to turn to murder. And at the heart of all three investigations are Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick, rising star of the department, and ex-undercover agent Ross Hogan, brought in from the cold. But can they catch the killers before it’s too late?” — Publisher’s Annotation
“Overkill” by Sandra Brown — “Overkill is storytelling par excellence, weaving complex societal issues into the fabric of a thriller to create a terrific tapestry of emotionally wrought tension. The best book of the summer.”―Providence Journal
“Rising Tiger” by Brad Thor — “America’s top spy, Scot Harvath, with democracy itself hanging in the balance, is thrust into a completely unfamiliar culture where he can trust no one as he fights to take down the country’s most powerful enemy—and for his life.” — Atlas Publishing
“Serpentine” by Jonathan Kellerman — “LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis and brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware investigate a decades-unsolved case involving a rich and spoiled client, a mysterious birth mother and violent coincidences. By the Edgar Award-winning author of True Detectives.” — Atlas Publishing
“The Dark Hours” by Michael Connelly — “A masterpiece… Meticulous about actual police procedure, Connelly makes the fundamentals of detective work engrossing while providing plenty of suspense and action.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The Family Game” by Catherine Steadman — “The Holbecks are what you might come up with if you took the Roys from Succession and blended them with the Murdochs, the Macbeths, and the Borgias. . . . The mysteries accrue, as does our admiration for Steadman, whose gift for invention only increases with each novel. . . . Let the fun begin!.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“The Hunt” by Faye Kellerman — “Kellerman succeeds brilliantly in making the search for understanding as compelling as the search for the murderer.” — Publishers Weekly
“The Last Party” by Clare Mackintosh — “A superb blend of psychological thriller and police procedural…A gripping portrait of two fractured people merges with believable plot twists, and the author perfectly captures the ennui of a small town where gossip can destroy lives. Mackintosh consistently entertains.” ― Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“Crisply written … a fine thriller.”―Booklist“The Night She Disappeared” by Lisa Jewell — “As usual, the British author draws you in with characters and plot, building just enough tension and suspense that you will be rushing to find out just what happened.” ― St. Louis Post Dispatch
“The Red Book” by James Patterson and David Ellis — “”Crisply written … a fine thriller.”―Booklist
“The Soulmate” by Sally Hepworth — “The book is many things: a crime story, a psychological study, a blueprint for how and when to mete out information in a thriller. But most of all it is an inquiry into the mysteries of marriage and commitment, and into what we owe our spouses and one another.” —The New York Times Book Review
“The Third Game” by Lisa Jackson — “When the skeletal remains of two bodies and what appears to be an empty grave are found in a secret crypt in the cellar of a decaying Savannah, Ga., mansion in bestseller Jackson’s workmanlike fourth Pierce Reed/Nikki Gillette novel, police detective Pierce investigates…Enjoy catching up with Pierce and Nikki.” — Publishers Weekly
“You Can Die” by Rebecca Zanetti — “Zanetti launches a romantic suspense series with this pitch-perfect blend of slow-burn romance and adrenaline-fueled thrills…Both awkward Laurel and dogged Huck are refreshing departures from typical leads while still remaining fiercely independent and easy to root for. Their romance only bolsters the deliciously intricate mystery. Readers will delight in this smart take on classic trope.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
ADULT BIOGRAPHY
“Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You” by Lucinda Williams –“Remarkable . . . Reading like it was written on a series of cocktail napkins in the absolutely best way, this ever-quotable memoir of a born songsmith has something to offer nearly any grownup who has listened to music for the last half-century.”—Booklist
ADULT NON-FICTION
“All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak: A Funeral Director on Life, Death and the Hereafter” by Caleb Wilde — “In a wonderfully conversational tone, Wilde tackles themes of mortality, history, and justice with masterful felicity, delivering bracing big picture ideas about death and community. The result is an exceptionally soulful and insightful take on identity and the ways the dead linger among the living.” –―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Roche: A Culinary Journey through the San Juan Island’s Illustrious Harbor” by Chef William D. Shaw and James O. Fraioli
“Thank Your for Your Servitude: Donald Trump’s Washington and the Price of Submission” by Mark Leibovich — “A fascinating account . . . The greatest value of Thank You For Your Servitude is Leibovich’s ability to understand the startling motivations of members of the House and Senate and many White House advisers and aides.” —The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“The Ultimate Guide to Power and Influence: Everything You Need to Know” by Robert L. Dilenschneider — “An inspiring primer on navigating one’s life with self-knowledge and integrity.”—Kirkus Reviews
PICTURE BOOK
“The Pout-Pout Fish and the Mad, Mad Day” by Deborah Diesen
CHILDREN’S KIT
“Aaron Slater, Illustrator” by Andrea Beaty — “In the illustration, a tableau of colorful mythological beings embodies Aaron’s tale. . .Empathetic art and lyrical text blend for a touching and empowering tale.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Dog Diaries: Mission ImPAWsible” by James Patterson with Steven Butler — “Bolstered by Watson’s spry cartoons, Patterson and Butler’s rollicking story will catch–and hold–the attention of young readers, especially those of the dog-loving variety.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“Doggo and Pupper” by Katherine Applegate — “Declared boring by the cat of the house, a routine-oriented Doggo is dismayed by the messy antics of newcomer Pupper, who returns obedient, but decidedly unhappy, from puppy-training school.” — Atlas Publishing
“Marya Khan and the Fabulous Jasmine Garden” by Saadia Faruqi — “The characters are well-developed and feel like a well-integrated part of Marya’s universe. The humor is genuine, and warmth exudes from the dialogue and prose. Faruqi continues to create relatable protagonists with age-relevant and real-kid struggles and triumphs while offering an authentic portrayal of a Muslim, Pakistani family. Authentic friendships, layered family dynamics, and the adventures of an intrepid heroine make this a must-have series that should be shelved next to Renée Watson’s “Ryan Hart” books.”―School Library Journal
“The Mind-Blowing World of Extraordinary Competitions: Meet the Incredible People Who Will Compete at Anything” by Anna Goldfield — “This audiobook features music and special effects. Listen along and enjoy the fun that is The Mind-Blowing World of Extraordinary Competitions.” — Amazon.com
“Thirst” by Varsha Bajai — “The riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone.” — Amazon.com
“What’s Inside a Flower: An Other Questions about Science & Nature” by Rachel Ignotofsky — “Budding backyard scientists can start exploring their world with this stunning introduction to these flowery show-stoppers – from seeds to roots to blooms. Learning how flowers grow gives kids beautiful building blocks of science and inquiry.” — Amazon.com
“When You Trap a Tiger” by Tae Keller — “Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother.” — Amazon.com
“Tom Lake is about love in all its many forms. But it is also about death and the ephemeral and how everything goes by so damned fast. It is an elegy of sorts but also a promise that there will be magic no matter what.” — Los Angeles Review of Books
“Monsters and Mold” by Asia Citro — “Citro takes the “girl helping animals” trope of beginning chapters to a whole new level. Filled with scientific language and experiments, including a helpful glossary, Zoey is encouraged to make mistakes, fail, and get up and keep trying. There’s no lack of child appeal either; both boys and girls will delight in the magical creatures and brisk storytelling and will be eager to try some of their own scientific experimentation, even if they can’t find a dragon!” — Jennifer Wharton, Jean Little Library
“The Long March Home” by Marcus Brotherton & Tosca Lee — “Inspired by a true story, three best friends from Mobile, Alabama are captured in the Philippines during WWII–they vow to return home together. They struggle to survive against impossible odds that becomes known as the Bataan Death March”– Baker & Taylor
ADULT FICTION
“Palazzo” by Danielle Steel — “The head of her family’s haute couture Italian leather brand, Cosima Saverio, partnering with France’s most successful handbag company, must make an impossible choice when her brother loses a hefty sum at the casino and his debt must be repaid with money or his life”– Baker & Taylor
“The Beach at Summerly” By Beatriz Williams — “Full of evocative, whip-sharp dialogue… [T]he author’s deft exploration of many thought-provoking issues, from social class to personal responsibility and regret, make this one a winner. A well-researched exploration of love and redemption against the backdrop of post-World War II New England” — Kirkus Reviews
“The First Ladies” by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray —
“While the depictions of the women’s activism are inspiring, the novel really shines in the behind-the-scenes moments when the women support each other during personal struggles with marital infidelity, illness, and loss. This impeccably researched, relevant novel is a must-read and destined to be a book-club favorite.” —Booklist (starred review)
“The Ice Harp” by Norman Lock — “In The Ice Harp, Norman Lock deftly takes us into the polyphonic swirl of Emerson’s mind at the end of his life, inviting us to meet the man anew even as the philosopher fights to stop forgetting himself. Who will I be when the words are gone, the great thinker wonders, and how will I know what is right? I gladly asked myself these same impossible questions on every page of this remarkably empathetic and deeply moral novel.” —Matt Bell, author of Appleseed and Refuse to Be Done
“The Long March Home” by Marcus Brotherton & Tosca Lee — “Inspired by a true story, three best friends from Mobile, Alabama are captured in the Philippines during WWII–they vow to return home together. They struggle to survive against impossible odds that becomes known as the Bataan Death March”– Baker & Taylor
ADULT MYSTERY
“Dead Man’s Wake” by Paul Doiron — “Doiron creates an array of colorful, well-drawn characters, writes in vivid, graceful style, and accurately portray investigative procedures ― this time including the handling of underwater crime scenes. He spins his tale with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the end.” ―Associated Press
BLUE/DVD MOVIES
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”
JUVENILE FICTION
“Monsters and Mold” by Asia Citro — “Citro takes the “girl helping animals” trope of beginning chapters to a whole new level. Filled with scientific language and experiments, including a helpful glossary, Zoey is encouraged to make mistakes, fail, and get up and keep trying. There’s no lack of child appeal either; both boys and girls will delight in the magical creatures and brisk storytelling and will be eager to try some of their own scientific experimentation, even if they can’t find a dragon!” — Jennifer Wharton, Jean Little Library
JUVENILE GRAPHIC NOVELS
“Adventuregame Comics: Leviathan” by Jason Shiga — “Shiga captures that thrill of limitless possibility in this choose-your-own-path style maze of a comic book wonder… The tantalizing glimpses of un-had adventures as you flip through pages on your current quest; and the labyrinth-winding, squat-figured, goggle-eyed fun of Shiga’s art all invite many return reads.”―Booklist
“Making Friends” by Kristen Gudnuk — “This charming graphic novel features full-color, manga-inspired illustrations and a breezy plot that blends wish fulfillment and fantasy with an approachable and contemporary storyline. With a broad brush, Gudsnuk hits many of the angst-y issues of middle school, including popularity, bullying, family relationships, body image, and fandom, creating appeal for a large swath of readers… A nifty pastiche of middle school matters.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Schnozzer and Tatertoes: Take Hike” by Rick Stromoski — “If you like funny, silly dogs (and who doesn’t), this book is for you!”—Patrick McDonnell, Mutts cartoonist and author of Me . . . Jane
“The Mighty Bite” by Nathan Hale — “In this quirky graphic offering, two extinct creatures team up with a human reporter. Hale’s tale, executed in blue and white with strong black linework, is unapologetically zany, replete with poop jokes, an adorable talking kitten head, a giant hair dryer, and a gorilla deity sporting a halo that is also a portal, making this a perfect choice for those who find joy in madcap comics in the vein of James Kolchalka. Kooky charmer. An exuberantly goofy romp.” — Kirkus Reviews
JUVENILE NON-FICTION
“Search for a Giant Squid: Pick Your Path” by Amy Seto Forrester and Andy Chou Musser — “An engaging, fun, and deep guide to how sea research happens.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“Based on the writings of an historical Ming dynasty female physician, See’s accomplished novel immerses readers in a fascinating life lived within a fascinating culture.” ― Starred Booklist
“Breathe Like a Bear teaches kids how to flex their mindfulness muscles and be calm, focused, imaginative,energized and relaxed. Kira Willey offers up fun activities that are sure to captivate young audiences and start them developing positive energy-producing habits for their physical and mental well-being. … Accentuating the engaging exercises are delightful illustrations of animals and nature portrayed in strikingly bold colors. This enjoyable, interactive book is a sneaky way to promote a healthy approach to life with the small people you value most.” –Shelf Awareness