Staff Picks Format: Book

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips [Book]

view/request

The immortal Greek gods are in reduced circumstances in the 21st century, living in a dilapidated house in London and pretty tired of each other’s company by now. Their relationships among themselves and their interactions with the modern world are perfectly in character, smart and very funny. Now that the gods have had to get day jobs, Aphrodite does phone sex, Artemis is a dog walker, and Apollo is still chasing mortal women. It’s an ingenious concept and Phillips carries it through cleverly, unpredictably and hilariously. This is Phillips’s debut novel and I can’t wait for the next.

Major Pettigrew’s last stand : a novel by Helen Simonson [Book]

view/request

Debut author, Simonson, has written a delightful and surprising love story that takes place in the beautiful English country town of Edgecombe St. Mary. Retired Major Pettigrew is a proper English widower who falls in love with kindhearted Pakistani widow, Mrs. Ali, much to the chagrin of the community. Drama and humor ensue.

Mermaids in Paradise [Book]

view/request

It looks light (and it is hilarious in places), but the absurdity and the quick dialogue are thinly laid over some very serious questions about belief, cynicism, and the fate of the earth. Yes there really are mermaids, and it’s a quick-flowing, entertaining story. Millet’s language is eloquent and poetic, witty, incisive: a joy to read.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia [Book]

view/request

One Crazy Summer tells the story of an eleven-year-old girl and her younger sisters who travel from Brooklyn to Oakland, California to live with their mother for the summer. Their mother is unapproachable and the girls have a hard time adjusting to the new atmosphere. The three sisters are eager to build a relationship with their mother and are intrigued by her involvement with the Black Panther Party. What little they know of the Black Panthers they learned from television, but now they have come face-to-face with party leaders as their tough-love mother sends them to the program for breakfast and lessons.

When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year by Penny Pollock; illustrations by Mary Azarian [Book]

view/request

Full moons come,

full moons go,

softening nights

with their silver glow.

This book has amazing illustrations by Vermont woodcut artist, Mary Azarian. Pollock tells the story of the lunar calendar. Each month has a verse describing the twelve moons according to Native American tradition and a hand-colored woodcut illustration.

Smelling Sunshine by Constance Anderson [Book]

view/request

This beautifully illustrated picture book is a reminder to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures in life! Mother and child have fun washing the clothes and hanging them out for the warm sun to dry.

In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming [Book]

view/request

In the small, small pond a frog encounters tadpoles, geese, dragonflies, turtles, herons, minnow, and many other animals. All of a sudden there is a chill in the air and winter is here.

Un regalo de gracias: La leyenda de la Altagracia by Julia Alvarez; illustrations by Beatriz Vidal [Book]

view/request

Maria is afraid that her family will have to abandon their farm after their olive crop fails. Then one night she dreams of a beautiful and mysterious lady. Maria and her family plant seeds to grow oranges. Soon they have an amazing orange grove. Maria wonders who the beautiful lady that came to her in her dream is.

Ash [Book]

view/request

Ash did a great job of portraying a queer relationship without putting it on a pedestal and had great girl power/amazing female leads!!

Moonlight [Book]

view/request

Rabbit discovers the magic of the moon in this beautifully illustrated story.

“Moonlight slides like butter

skims through outer space

skims past stars and comets”

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison [Book]

view/request

There are six things very wrong with my life:

1. I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.
2. It is on my nose
3. I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.
4. In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.
5. I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.
6. I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.

Step into the hilarious life of Georgia Nicolson. She is a British teen who includes lots of fun slang in her very detailed journal. This light and silly read will have you laughing out loud at Georgia’s funny antics.

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block [Book]

view/request

“Lanky lizards!” Block paints a off-beat world of magical realism through her lyrical prose. Weetzie Bat is a glittery, non-conformist teen living in L.A. She meets the coolest guy at school, Dirk, and her quest for “happily ever after” begins. After you fall in love with this fun and quirky book, there are six others in Block’s Dangerous Angel series.