August Young Adult Picks

We picked out some books to start the school year off right!

Witch Song
by Amber Argyle
YA ARG

A unique take on witches , magic, and spell-casting that I’ve not seen before. I look forward to reading more from Amber Argyle!
-Sara

Reality Boy
by A.S. King
YA KIN

An emotionally damaged 17-year-old boy in Pennsylvania who was once an infamous reality television show star meets a girl from another dysfunctional family, and she helps him out of his angry shell.
-Megan

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes
by Kazu Kibuishi
YA KIB

This anthology of short graphic works by such artists as Kazu Kibuishi, Dave Roman, and Raina Telgemeier center on the theme of a mysterious box and the marvels, or mayhem, inside.
-Crystal

Room
by Alex London
YA LON

Privileged teenager Knox has a proxy who receives punishment for Knox’s wrongdoings, but when Knox kills a friend in a car crash, it is Syd who is sentenced to death.
-Megan

The Truth About Alice
by Jennifer Mathieu
YA MAT

When rumors and lies about Alice Franklin begin after one of the guys she allegedly slept with at a party dies in a car accident, questions about truth arise in her small town.
-Megan

The 100
by Kass Morgan
YA MOR

Significantly different from the television series, but very well-written and a fast-paced read!
-Sara

Hollow City
by Ransom Riggs
YA RIG

Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.
-Crystal

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August Adult Staff Picks

We rounded up some more fantastic titles to keep you reading!

Room
by Emma Donoghue
F DON

Jack has spent his life in a small space his mother calls Room, and while Jack uses his imagination to create fantasies to entertain himself, his mother finds a way for them to escape.
-Megan

Phantom Instinct
by Meg Gardiner
F GAR

In Edgar Award–winning author Meg Gardiner’s new stand-alone thriller, an injured cop and an ex-thief hunt down a killer nobody else believes exists.
-Kathy

Mr. Mercedes
by Stephen King
F KIN

There are no scary clowns or paranormal activity in this Stephen King book. This time it is the man driving the car that is terrifying, not the car!
-Debbie

The City
by Dean Koontz
F KON

Here is the riveting, soul-stirring story of Jonah Kirk, son of an exceptional singer, grandson of a formidable “piano man,” a musical prodigy beginning to explore his own gifts when he crosses a group of extremely dangerous people, with shattering consequences.
-Crystal

Defending Jacob
by William Landay
F LAN

When his fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student, assistant D.A. Andy Barber is torn between loyalty and justice as facts come to light.
-Megan

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter
by Mark Seal
364.163 SEA

“The Man in the Rockefeller Suit” is the incredible page-turning true story of the German-born scam artist who rose to wealth and prominence with a progressive line of false identities.
-Mike

Everyday Bento
by Wendy Copley
641.53 COP

Your kids will look forward to lunch every single day with the delightful collection of recipes in Everyday Bento! The bento food movement teaches us that foods can be attractive, nutritious, fun and delicious all at the same time. Kids love to try foods that bring a smile to their faces, and will often eat things they wouldn’t otherwise try.
-Crystal

The manual to manhood : how to cook the perfect steak, change a tire, impress a girl & 97 other skills you need to survive
by Jonathan Catherman
646.7 CAT

There’s a lot a young man in the making needs to succeed as he grows up and prepares to make his way in the world. Many of the most important skills and character traits he should acquire he might not be quick to ask how to do because, well then, people would know he doesn’t know what he is doing, yet For all the guys who want some great advise from world class experts about getting life together, Jonathan Catherman offers this collection of one hundred step-by-step instructions on almost everything a guy needs to know.
-Megan

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
966.404 BEA

Difficult and heartbreaking to read because of the graphic descriptions of war and the lives of the child-soldiers of Sierra Leone, but definitely worth it.
-Jennifer S.

August Staff Picks for Kids

We rounded up some great staff picks for kids! Check them out:

The Wolf Princess
by Cathryn Constable
J CON

Sophie Smith is a teenage orphan stuck in a boarding school in London, but at night she dreams of Russia and wolves–then, on a class trip to St. Petersburg, she finds herself and her two friends deliberately separated from the group and whisked off into the silver forest of her dreams, where a mystery awaits.
-Megan

The Search for Wondla
by Tony Diterlizzi
J DIT

When a marauder destroys the underground sanctuary that Eva Nine was raised in by the robot Muthr, the twelve-year-year-old girl is forced to flee aboveground. Eva Nine is searching for anyone else like her: She knows that other humans exist because of an item she treasures—a scrap of cardboard on which is depicted a young girl, an adult, and a robot, with the strange word, “WondLa.”
-Crystal

The Kind of Friends We Used to Be
by Frances O’Roark Dowell
J DOW

Twelve-year-olds Kate and Marylin, friends since preschool, draw further apart as Marylin becomes involved in student government and cheerleading, while Kate wants to play guitar and write songs, and both develop unlikely friendships with other girls and boys.
-Megan

Peter Pan in Scarlet
by Geraldine McCaughrean
J MCC

Peter Pan, the Darling children, and the fairy Fireflyer must save Neverland from the threat of nightmares and Time.
-Jennifer S.

Dog Finds Lost Dolphins! And More True Stories of Amazing Animal Heroes
by Elizabeth Carney
J 636.088 CAR

The first in a line of Animal Rescues chapter books, Dog Finds Lost Dolphins is a tale you’ll not soon forget. In this charming and awe-inspiring story you’ll meet Cloud, the black lab with a nose for rescue. She’s the only dog certified to sniff out stranded dolphins. Cloud can sniff out a dolphin over a mile off the coast of the Florida Keys. She has even become friends with them, waiting on the dock for them to pop up and give her a kiss.
-Crystal

Breaking News: Bear Alert
by David Biedrzycki
E BIE

Two bears awaken from hibernation and go to town—literally. During their visit, they eat at a diner, dress up at a department store, and stop a couple of bank robbers, all the while mistaking the townspeople’s terror for friendliness.
-Crystal

Galapagos George
by Jean Craighead George
E GEO

This is the story of the famous Lonesome George, a giant tortoise who was the last of his species, lived to be one hundred years old, and became known as the rarest creature in the world. His story gives us a glimpse of the amazing creatures inhabiting the ever-fascinating Galápagos Islands.
-Crystal

This is a Moose
by Richard T. Morris
E MOR

Director Billy Waddler is trying to film a documentary about moose, but the moose in question has no intention of spending his life in the woods. His animal friends, who have dreams of their own, help him prove his point. Hilarious read aloud for all ages.
-Crystal

The Princess Gown
by Linda Leopold Strauss
E STR

If the wedding dress young Hanna’s family is making is not chosen for the princess, they will go to the poor house, but thanks to Hanna’s sharp eyes and artistic ability, her father stands a very good chance of becoming Embroiderer to the Princess.
-Crystal