         Staff Picks Patti's Picks
Anyone, young or old, who loves words and language, will devour this book. I simply fell in love with it. I yearned to savor sentences, phrases, and descriptions that made me smile and laugh right out loud. The story is historical, full of political intrigue and mystery. The characters become friends that stay with you throughout the day. Even the unsavory and cunning characters seep into your day in a delightful way. I don't usually read books more than once but this is one I look forward to visiting again.
Cinderella Smith is sweet and feisty and wove herself right into my heart with this delightful story. She has penchant for loosing shoes, hence her nickname. Her refreshing way of handling the ups and downs of friends, jealousy, and tap dancing pageants makes this a must-read for girls everywhere. It's fun but also important reading for kids navigating the world of friendships new and old. Coupled with illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Diane Goode, this is truly a gem!
The Prince of Mist
This is the fourth book in the Tiffany Aching series and I have loved all the previous books. I tell people about them all the time. I was waiting with great anticipation for this newest one, wondering if he was going to write another. I just have to say that it is all that I was hoping for. I feel like I've run into an old friend. I looked forward to every minute I got a chance to read this book and soared through it. I love my son with all my heart but I couldn't wait for his nap time so I could read. If you aren't familiar with this series you need to check it out. The first one is The Wee Free Men, and trust me you won't be sorry.
Have you ever read a book you loved so much you had trouble describing it and you just wanted people to read it so they would understand? I could tell you the whole storyline or how amazing the main character is. I could tell you how the blend of history and fantasy melds together so perfectly you just get lost in the story. But really I just want people to read it, enjoy in, savor it, and tell others. Chinese history and lore, action and intrigue, gender boundaries and secrets all come together to make me itch for the sequel coming out this spring. Just read it!
This is a long awaited new novel by one of my very favorite authors. His intricate blending of science, meaty characters and beautifully woven story makes this novel my new favorite book this year. The discovery of Pluto is at the heart of the novel but it was the blend of characters and plot that kept me turning pages until late in the night. I can't wait to tell everyone I know about this fabulous book.
Westerfeld combines steam punk with organic machines in an adventure that I couldn't get enough of. The machines and organisms you get to imagine were fantastic and the story just doesn't let up. The black and white artwork throughout adds such richness to the story. My husband and I read this together so we could talk and gush about it. It was that good.
I have been a long time fan of books set in the Victorian time period; add in a girl spy and I was excited to check this book out to say the least. What I didn't expect was to be so immersed and sucked in. The author has a PhD in Victorian literature and history and you can tell. Her rich and subtle inclusion of smell, texture, small gestures and looks between characters, and fantastic descriptions of clothes all made this book come alive for me. Suspense and intrigue abound, and I found myself looking forward to my next chance to delve back in. Plus, there's going to be more in the series, I can't wait!  Mysteries
of Harris Burdick Chris Van Allsburg This book is completely amazing and intriguing. I just couldn't stop thinking about it when I first came across it. For starters I am in love with Chris Van Allsburg's art work and I collect his books. This is by far my favorite. Abandoned art work, left with a publisher for consideration inspired this book and leaves you to use your imagination to finish the stories they start. Grab a child and pour over the images together. Strange, magical, and compelling, you'll find your mind wandering with the possibilities.
I picked this book up mostly out of curiosity and a great cover and pretty much read it right through. The statues of London are coming to life and an unlikely boy is caught in the middle of a war that only he can put right. Dragons, gargoyles, and a whole host of strange creatures fill this book with action and suspense. It would be a fasntastic read aloud, but you might just stay up a little too late to find out what happens next. This is the first of a trilogy and I can't wait to start the next book.
I fell in love with this book; the characters, the story, the writing, I loved it all. It's a love story with werewolves but handled so delicately and believably that I just fell in. The story unfolds through eyes of both the girl and boy in alternating chapters, and it was unique and refreshing to see the boy's side of the love story as well. This is not a fluffy, girly love story to be quickly forgotten. Whether you loved or avoided the Twilight series this is a book to savor.
The Forest of Hands and teeth is gripping, scary, creepy, beautiful, gross, eloquent, and completely engrossing. Mary lives in a village surrounded by a fence to keep out the unconsecrated (zombies). Her whole life this is all she has known. It has been this was for so long that no one even remembers life without the constant threat of infection and death. They don't believe that there is a world outside of their village, they don't know if they are the last uninfected humans to exist. But Mary has hope and a yearning to find out. She is torn between love and her desire to escape and discover the world outside. I never thought of myself as a zombie person but have had to amend that with my love of the book World War Z and now The Forest of Hands and Teeth. If you like scary, really scary, entwined with a great romantic love triangle, you won't be disappointed.
I must first state that China Mieville is easy on my top ten list of all time favorite authors. He is such a meaty, rich, and visually stimulating writer. His plots are always intricate and satisfying. Perdido Street Station and The Scar are both brilliant and books to get lost in. So needless to say I was excited to get my hands on The City and the City. A murder mystery as only China Mieville can do, I was instantly sucked in. With a small child at home I had to snatch moments to read whenever I could, during nap time, lunch breaks, and late at night (who needs sleep)? It was pure torture to not have an entire day to just devour this book. Plus, as an added bonus, China Mieville is one of the nicest, funniest authors I have had the pleasure to meet. You really should pick this book up, even Nancy Pearl thinks so, you can even go here to read her review.
This book caused me to fall in love with this author. Victorian london with
zombies, steam powered dinosaurs and murder, what more could you ask for?
Super fin and scary, full of suspense and intrigue, I plowed through this
book non-stop. And there's more! Next time it's vampires, in "Parliment
of Blood!"
Enola Holmes is not only smart and clever enough to outsmart her brother Sherlock, she must survive on her own in Jack the Ripper's London. Her mother is missing, she is trying to save a missing boy, and help the poor in the darkest part of Victorian London, all on her own. I just ate this up and couldn't wait for more. Luckily I didn't have to wait long and now there are four books in the series. Exciting, full of mystery and adventure, these books are just too much fun and perfect for a summer afternoon.
This amazing little book was so loved by my 8-month-old son that it motivated him to crawl for the first time. He just couldn't wait to get his little hands on it. We read it daily, recite it in the car, and it never fails to put a smile on his face.
This is the first book I've read by this seasoned young adult writer, and I immediately fell in love. This story takes place in the old west with a twist, where magic is a way of life and wooly mammoths run free. The west is wild, untamed, and full of the unknown, just the place for a young girl who believes she is cursed as the thirteenth born and her twin brother, a double seventh son. This story is just good fun and unlike anything I've read in a long time.
First, I have to say that I have read all of Johnathan Stroud's books, and
that he is one of my favorite authors. I loved all the Bartimaeus books and
Buried Fire especially. But Heroes of the Valley is by far his best. Mixing
Norse mythology with Irish and Scottish folklore, this epic adventure us absolutely
fantastic. I savored this book. I let the dishes pile up and left the laundry
undone, I simply did not want it to end. I kept thinking of how much fun I
was going to have reading it to my son one day. (He's only 8 months old at
the moment, a bit too young still). This is such a rich, and meaty tale, full
of excitement, humor and characters I carried around with me during my day.
I was truly sad when it was over and yet exhilarated at the experience of having
read such a well written and epic tale. I fear the next book I read will pale
in comparison. Adults and kids, boys and girls, all will fall in love with
this book.
Easily one of the most brilliantly written, moving stories I have had the
pleasure to experience! It is to be savored and devoured. I implore you to
taste just a page, you won't be able to stop. The Secret History of Tom Trueheart A unique story full of adventure. Pure good fun with lots of suprises thrown
in! A great read-aloud! This is easily one of my favorites this year. Ptolemy's Gate A fabulous conclusion to an amazing trilogy. Jonathan Stroud is one of my favorite
authors. I have been compelled to read everything he has written and have
yet to be disappointed. All three Bartimaeus books are full of excitement,
sarcasm, and dark humor. I couldn't recommend them more The Sisters Grim: The Fairy-Tale Detectives Fairy-tale fun and excitement like you've never seen. I couldn't put it down. Mysterious and clever, I loved the characters and look forward to the next two books, both hot off the presses!
Magyk: Book One Septimus Heap With pirates, a magical ring, and a family full of magic users, this page turner is full of surprises. This would be a fantastic read-a-loud. The sequal is hot off the presses, I'm halfway through and can't put it down.
Well This debut novel, just out in paperback, is a must read. Dark and deeply engaging,
these are the stories of a small group of people from Federal Way, Washington.
I came away from this novel with a new sense of compassion for the people I
meet in everyday life.
The Feast of Roses The Feast of Roses continues the story of Mehrunnisa from The Twentieth Wife. Power, Manipulation, intrigue and, of course, love surge through this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Her storytelling submerged me into this world, filling all my senses. I highly recommend. this book. |
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Fly By Night
Cinderella Smith 
I Shall Wear Midnight
Eon
Percival's Planet
Leviathan 
The
Agency : a Spy in the House 
Stoneheart 
Shiver 
Forest
of Hands and Teeth
The
City and the City
The
Death Collector
The
Case of the Missing Marquess, An Enola Holmes Mystery 
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
Thirteenth
Child
Heroes of the Valley
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing