Are you wondering what's new on the shelves at the Commerce Township Community Library? We've got you covered! Here are some of the library's newest offerings. Take a peek, put something on hold, or stop in and grab it before it's gone! You'll find Adult, Teen, & Youth items listed below.
Adult Collection: Featured New Books
Fiction
Swept Away by Beth O'Leary
Two strangers find themselves in a tricky situation when one night turns into days of being stranded at sea in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O'Leary. What if you were lost at sea...with your one-night stand? Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father's houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter. Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water. With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they're facing another challenge. Because when you're stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone-and to fall in love with them
The World Fair's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini is back with another novel in her perennially popular Elm Creek Quilts series: a timely celebration of quilting, family, community, and history!
The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper
When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.
The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh
From the author of the "sharp, smart, and gloriously extra" (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times bestselling author) Good Morning America Book Club Pick The Fortunes of Jaded Women, a stunning family dramedy about estranged siblings competing to inherit their father's Vietnamese sandwich franchise and unravel family mysteries.
The Keeper by Charles Martin
Combine James Patterson and Colleen Hoover and you'll start to understand why readers are riveted by the Murphy Shepherd series: gripping action, heart-wrenching emotion, and deep questions that deserve to be considered. Bones--Murphy Shepherd's teacher, mentor, priest, and friend--is gone. Devastated by the loss and unsure how to continue the rescue work they started, Murph has no choice but to jump back in when the worst happens. His longtime friend and current United States vice president, Aaron Ashley, has been a silent partner in the fight against trafficking. But in spite of having the best security available, his three daughters have been taken bound and blindfolded from their home by an extraction team that left no clues and no trace--just an empty house, a bereft mother, and nine dead Secret Service agents. Only Murph and his team have a hope of finding them. Bones may have made the ultimate sacrifice by taking down his own brother and the dark network he led, but there are still others in this network where evil is the currency and power is the prize. Soon Ashley drops out of the presidential race and a new candidate emerges--someone who is ready, too ready, to step into the race and the Oval Office. Bones taught Murph that the needs of the one, the lost one, outweigh those of the ninety-nine. In his first rescue without Bones beside him, Murph's fight against human trafficking takes him across the globe and through the halls of government to destroy the network and save the lives and souls of those taken.
Fudge and Marriage by Nancy Coco
Only two things might ruin fudge maker Allie McMurphy's wedding: murder--and her mother...
When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory
JP and Dulin have been the best of friends for decades. When JP finds out his cancer has aggressively returned, Dulin decides it's the perfect time for one last adventure: a week-long bus tour of North America's Impossibles, the physics-defying glitches and geographic miracles that started cropping up seven years earlier--right after the Announcement that revealed our world to be merely a digital simulacrum. The outing, courtesy of Canterbury Trails Tours, promises the trip of a (not completely real) lifetime in a (not completely deluxe) coach.
Their fellow passengers are 21st-century pilgrims, each of them on the tour for their own reasons. There's a nun hunting for an absent God, a pregnant influencer determined to make her child too famous to be deleted, a crew of horny octogenarians living each day like it's their last, and a professor on the run from leather-clad sociopaths who take The Matrix as scripture. Each stop on this trip is stranger than the last--a Tunnel outside of time, a zero gravity Geyser, the compound of motivational-speaking avatar--with everyone barreling toward the tour's iconic final stop Ghost City, where unbeknownst to our travelers the answer to who is running the simulation may await.
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
A woman learns the astonishing truth of her family's ties to a real-life American kingdom in this transporting and riveting new novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Award-winning author of Take My Hand. In the hills of Appalachia, there once existed a land ruled by a king and a queen. Inspired by distant memories of African kingdoms, a community of formerly enslaved men and women grasped freedom and started lives on mountain land that they owned. They worked hard, lived well, and loved there. For a time the kingdom thrived...and then it disappeared. Present Day. Nikki hasn't seen her grandmother in years, due to a mysterious estrangement inherited from her mother. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, she's determined to get answers while she still can. But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki a shocking story about her great-great-great-grandmother Queen Luella and the very land they are standing on. Land that Mother Rita says must be protected. The more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she finds in the woods-who are buried beneath stone grave markers-the more she understands that sometimes, atonement for the previous generations' mistakes falls squarely on the shoulders of the descendants. And it's up to her to make things right.
The Page Turner by Viola Shipman
Emma Page grew up the black sheep in a bookish household, raised to believe that fine literature is the only worthy type of fiction. Her parents, self-proclaimed "serious" authors who run their own vanity press, The Mighty Pages, mingle in highbrow social circles that look down on anything too popular or mainstream, while her sister, Jess, is a powerful social media influencer whose stylish reviews can make or break a novel.
Hiding her own romance manuscript from her disapproving parents, Emma finds inspiration at the family cottage among the "fluff" they despise: the juicy summer romances that belonged to her late grandmother. But a chance discovery unearthed from her Gigi's belongings reveals a secret that has the power to ruin her parents' business and destroy their reputation in the industry--a secret that has already fallen into the hands of an unscrupulous publishing insider with a grudge to settle. Now Emma must decide--as much as she's dreamed of the day when her parents are forced to confront their own egos, can she really just sit back and watch The Mighty Pages be exposed and their legacy destroyed?
From the wealthy enclaves of the Hamptons to the sparkling shores of Lake Michigan, The Page Turner is a delectable glimpse inside the world of publishing, and Viola Shipman's most glittering achievement yet!
Hard Town by Adam Plantinga
When a plea for help sends retired Detroit cop Kurt Argento to the small desert town of Fenton, Arizona things immediately don't appear to be as they seem, and he finds himself unraveling secrets that want to stay hidden and questioning his own moral compass. After having survived a deadly prison break, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is ready for some quiet. Still working through his grief over the passing of his wife, Argento finds himself house-sitting for a friend with his loyal companion, Hudson, a ChowChow-Shepard mix. It's a simple life, picking up odd jobs here and there, but it's one that Argento is content to live. Then Kristin Reed shows up with her young son, Ethan, and begs Argento to help find her missing husband... and Argento tells her he'd just be in the way. He's no investigator, not anymore. He's a handyman who fixes fences. But he's not one to ignore his gut feeling when something is wrong. After an attempt to talk with Kristin more in the next town over, just to find her and her son missing as well, Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye. First there's the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there's the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. And finally, there's one man with no name who seems to have control over this town in an unprecedented way. Argento finds himself unraveling not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but aconspiracy that's taken a whole town to cover up. But Fenton, Arizona is going to push him further than he's ever had to go. And along the way, he may just lose a part of himself as well. Because justice isn't as black and white as Argento would like to believe.
The Murder Show by Matt Goldman
Showrunner Ethan Harris had a hit with The Murder Show, a television crime drama that features a private detective who solves cases the police can't. But after his pitch for the fourth season is rejected by the network, he returns home to Minnesota looking for inspiration.
His timing is fortunate -- his former classmate Ro Greeman is now a local police officer, and she's uncovered new information about the devastating hit and run that killed their mutual friend Ricky the summer after high school. She asks Ethan to help her investigate and thinks that if he portrays the killing on The Murder Show, the publicity may bring Ricky's killer to justice.
Ethan is skeptical that Ricky's death was anything but a horrible accident, but with the clock running out on his career, he's willing to try anything. It doesn't take long for them to realize they've dug up more than they bargained for. Someone is dead set on stopping Ethan and Ro from looking too closely into Ricky's death -- even if keeping them quiet means killing again...
Shadow of the Solstice by Anne Hillerman
The Navajo Nation police are on high alert when a U.S. Cabinet Secretary schedules an unprecedented trip to the little Navajo town of Shiprock, New Mexico. The visit coincides with a plan to resume uranium mining along the Navajo Nation border. Tensions around the official's arrival escalate when the body of a stranger is found in an area restricted for the disposal of radioactive uranium waste. Is it coincidence that a cult with a propensity for violence arrives at a private camp group outside Shiprock the same week to celebrate the summer solstice? When the outsiders' erratic behavior makes their Navajo hosts uneasy, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is assigned to monitor the situation. She finds a young boy at grave risk, abused women, and other shocking discoveries that plunge her and Lt. Jim Chee into a volatile and deadly situation.
Meanwhile, Darleen Manuelito, Bernie's high spirited younger sister, learns one of her home health clients is gone-and the woman's daughter doesn't seem to care. Darleen's curiosity and sense of duty combine to lead her to discover that the client's grandson is also missing and that the two have become ensnared in a wickedly complex scheme exploiting indigenous people. Darleen's information meshes with a case Chee has begun to solve that deals with the evil underside of human nature.
Polybius by Collin Armstrong
October, 1982. Forced to move to the quiet seaside town of Tasker Bay by her mother, the only thing on high schooler Andi's mind is saving up enough money to return to her old stomping grounds in Silicon Valley. Her self-taught skills with all things electronic make her a perfect fit for a job at the dingy local arcade where she can tune out from life and bankroll her eventual escape.
Pining over the distant and aloof Andi is Ro, the son of Tasker Bay's sheriff, who begins spending more time at the arcade. Despite promising herself she wouldn't get attached to anyone in town, Andi finds herself opening up to the thoughtful, like-minded Ro.
When Polybius--a new bleeding-edge game of unknown origin arrives--the shop is suddenly overwhelmed with players fighting for time on the machine. Seemingly overnight, a virus-like epidemic grips Tasker Bay while a violent coastal storm rolls in, isolating it from the outside world. People begin experiencing fits of anger, paranoia, and hallucinations--no one can be trusted. After a grisly act of violence goes unsolved, the town descends into chaos. Is the arrival of this mysterious game and the disorder in Tasker Bay a coincidence? Convinced the dire situation is somehow linked to Polybius, Andi and Ro desperately search for clues that might stop the spread before they, too, begin experiencing side effects...
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl.
Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be--until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.
Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood--most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviors, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.
Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She's surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored.
Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure trove: Selena's briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer--who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.
Online, Xander had it all: a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.
Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.
Sky Daddy by Kate Folk
Linda is doing her best to lead a life that would appear normal to the casual observer. Weekdays, she earns $20 an hour moderating comments for a video-sharing platform, then rides the bus home to the windowless garage she rents on the outskirts of San Francisco. But on the last Friday of each month, she indulges her true passion, taking BART to SFO for a round-trip flight to a regional hub. The destination is irrelevant, because each trip means a new date with a handsome stranger--a stranger whose intelligent windscreens, sleek fuselages, and powerful engines make Linda feel a way that no human ever could. . . .
Linda knows that she can't tell anyone she's sexually obsessed with planes. Nor can she reveal her belief that it's her destiny to "marry" one of her suitors, uniting with her soulmate plane for eternity. But when an opportunity arises to hasten her dream of eternal partnership, and the carefully balanced elements of her life begin to spin out of control, she must choose between maintaining the trappings of normalcy and launching herself headlong toward the love she's always dreamed of.
Both subversive and unexpectedly heartwarming, Sky Daddy hijacks the classic love story, exploring desire, fate, and the longing to be accepted for who we truly are.
I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney
Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a "far more interesting" man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company's system has him listed as dead. And the company can't fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living.
As Bud awaits his fate at work, his life hangs in the balance. Given another shot by his boss and encouraged by his best friend, Tim, a worldly and wise former art dealer, Bud starts to attend the wakes and funerals of strangers to learn how to live.
Non-Fiction
John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie
The Beatles shook the world to its core in the 1960's and, to this day, new generations continue to fall in love with their songs and their story. At the heart of this phenomenon lies the dynamic between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Few other musical partnerships have been rooted in such a deep, intense and complicated personal relationship.
John and Paul's relationship was defined by its complexity: compulsive, tender and tempestuous; full of longing, riven by jealousy. Like the band, their relationship was always in motion, never in equilibrium for long. John & Paul traces its twists and turns and reveals how these shifts manifested themselves in the music. The two of them shared a private language, rooted in the stories, comedy and songs they both loved as teenagers, and later, in the lyrics of Beatles songs.
In John & Paul, acclaimed writer Ian Leslie uses the songs they wrote to trace the shared journey of these two compelling men before, during, and after The Beatles. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, Leslie offers us an intimate and insightful new look at two of the greatest icons in music history, and rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration, and human intimacy.
Hope Dies Last: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future by Alan Weisman
In this profoundly human and moving narrative, the bestselling author of The World Without Us returns with a book ten years in the making: a study of what it means to be a human on the front lines of our planet's existential crisis. His new book, Hope Dies Last, is a literary evocation of our current predicament and the core resolve of our species against the most precarious odds we have ever faced.
To write this book, Weisman traveled the globe, witnessing climate upheaval and other devastations, and meeting the people striving to mitigate and undo our past transgressions. From the flooding Marshall Islands to revived wetlands in Iraq, from the Netherlands and Bangladesh to the Korean DMZ and to cities and coastlines in the U.S. and around the world, he has encountered the best of humanity battling heat, hunger, rising tides, and imperiled nature. He profiles the innovations of big thinkers--engineers, scientists, conservationists, economists, architects, and artists--as they conjure wildly creative, imaginative responses to an uncertain, ominous future. At this unprecedented point in history, as our collective exploits on this planet may lead to our own undoing and we could be among the species marching toward extinction, they refuse to accept defeat.
Hope Dies Last fills a crucial gap in the global conversation: Having reached a point of no return in our climate confrontation, how do we feel, behave, act, plan, and dream as we approach a future decidedly different from what we had expected?
The Ocean's Menagerie: How Earth's Strangest Creatures Reshape the Rules of Life by Drew Harvell
Hundred-year-old giant clams, coral kingdoms that rival human cities, and jellyfish that glow in the dark: ocean invertebrates are among the oldest and most diverse organisms on earth, seeming to bend the "rules" of land-based biology. Although sometimes unseen in the deep, the spineless creatures contain 600 million years of adaptation to problems of disease, energy consumption, nutrition, and defense.
In The Ocean's Menagerie, world-renowned marine ecologist Dr. Drew Harvell takes us diving from Hawaii to the Salish Sea, from St. Croix to Indonesia, to uncover the incredible underwater "superpowers" of spineless creatures: we meet corals many times stronger than steel or concrete, sponges who create potent chemical compounds to fight off disease, and sea stars that garden the coastlines, keeping all the other nearby species in balance. As our planet changes fast, the biomedical, engineering, and energy innovations of these wonderous creatures inspire ever more important solutions to our own survival.
The Ocean's Menagerie is a tale of biological marvels, a story of a woman's passionate connection to an adventurous career in science, and a call to arms to protect the world's most ancient ecosystems.
Build a Business You love: Mastering the Five Stages of Business by Dave Ramsey
In Build a Business You Love, #1 New York Times bestselling author and Ramsey Solutions Founder and CEO, Dave Ramsey breaks down the system that took his business from a card table in his living room to a $250 million operation.
Business leaders face all kinds of challenges and fears as they work to grow their business. Dave Ramsey gets it--because he's been there. Over the past 30 years, he and his team have taken some right (and plenty of wrong) turns as they worked to build his one-man financial counseling business into Ramsey Solutions, a $250 million company with over 1,000 team members. Now, Dave is sharing what he's learned from walking through three decades of business growth--so you can grow your business faster with fewer missteps.
The Gut-Brain Paradox: Improve Your Mood, Clear Brain Fog, And Reverse Disease by Healing Your Microbiome by Steven R. Gundry MD
In his previous bestselling books, Steven R. Gundry laid the groundwork for healthy eating to prevent and repair leaky gut and improve our overall well-being. In The Gut-Brain Paradox, he continues his journey deep into the human body, making the connections between a healthy microbiome--which helps our metabolic function--and a healthier brain, including improved cognitive function and mood.
The Gut-Brain Paradox reveals how metabolic inflexibility is a key driver of neuronal death. Without metabolic flexibility, neurons are starved to death and have no fuel to repair. Since these neurons receive information from the microbiome and communicate with the brain, our brain function can only be as strong as the health of our microbiome.
Dr. Gundry helps us understand that a leaky gut leads to a "leaky brain," demonstrating the connections to Alzheimer's and so-called Type 3 Diabetes. Thanks to the traditional Western diet which now mainly subsists of processed foods, and by the disruptors present in our diets, including glyphosate, plastics, and dysbiosis, we are harming ourselves and our children. At the very least, Dr. Gundry contends, these negative influences contribute to the brain fog which many struggle with--mild impairment, memory issues, and lack of mental energy.
The Gut-Brain Paradox also includes the latest science on how to positively impact a baby's developing brain and includes a program to guide readers towards healthy eating, providing recipes and supplements.
Milk Street Backroads Italy: Finding Italy's Forgotten Recipes by Christopher Kimball
Forget everything you thought you knew about Italian food. In Italy, cooks throw away their garlic, they don't stir their polenta, and they never labor over pans of risotto. But they do make enormous meatballs that are tender and light, and they occasionally break all the rules when making pasta.
The editors at Milk Street have spent years scouring small eateries, local markets, farms and home kitchens from Lombardy to Calabria and from Sardinia to Sicily in search of fresh takes on classic recipes as well as little-known regional favorites that never crossed the Atlantic.
On our travels we found new ways with pasta, from foolproof cacio e pepe in Rome to Puglia's olive oil--crisped fettuccine with chickpeas and a lemony pesto from Amalfi, where the pasta itself is enriched with citrus. Plus some surprising tomato sauces, including spaghetti all'assassina from Bari--spicy, charred, and made in one skillet.
We visited a Neapolitan trattoria where five sisters serenade diners with opera and serve an eggplant Parmesan that's rich, but never fried. In Northern Italy, we made meatball-like bread dumplings simmered in chicken broth. And in Sardinia, a hearty herb soup studded with pancetta, beans, and tiny nuggets of pasta.
Milk Street Backroads Italy give you a seat at the table with Italian cooks sharing the food they love, handed down from generation to generation.
The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary by Susannah Cahalan
Rosemary Woodruff Leary has been known only as the wife of Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor-turned-psychedelic high priest, whose jailbreak captivated the counterculture and whose life on the run with Rosemary inflamed the government. But Rosemary was more than a mere accessory. She was a beatnik, a psychonaut, and a true believer who tested the limits of her mind and the expectations for women of her time.
Long overlooked by those who have venerated her husband, Rosemary spent her life on the forefront of the counterculture, working with Leary on his books and speeches, sewing his clothing, and shaping--for better and for worse--the media's narrative about LSD. Ultimately, Rosemary sacrificed everything for the safety of her fellow psychedelic pioneers and the preservation of her husband's legacy.
Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives, and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her. Page-turning, revelatory, and utterly compelling, The Acid Queen shines an overdue spotlight on a pioneering psychedelic seeker.
I Was Told There'd Be a Village: Transforming Motherhood Through the Power of Connection by Melissa Wirt
Melissa Wirt thought she had everything-she'd built her own company and moved to a beautiful farm with her family. Then during a personal crisis, she realized: despite having created an online community reaching thousands of moms, she'd also somehow, become utterly isolated. In I Was Told There'd Be a Village, Melissa describes how she began making small changes-leaving behind a damaging Isolation Mindset and developing an advantageous Village Mindset. Using personal anecdotes and stories from moms across the country, this book provides specific, actionable steps to transform oppressive, solitary parenting into a connected, collective (even joyful) endeavor.
The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors by Steven Schwankert
When RMS Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, barely seven hundred people escaped with their lives. Among them were six Chinese men. Arriving in New York, these six were met with suspicion and slander. Fewer than twenty-four hours later, they were expelled from the country and vanished.
When historian Steven Schwankert first stumbled across the fact that eight Chinese nationals were onboard, of whom all but two survived, he couldn't believe that there could still be untold personal histories from the Titanic.
Now, at last, their story can be told. The result of meticulous research, a dogged investigation, and interviews with family members, The Six is an epic journey across continents that reveals the full story of these six forgotten survivors. Who were Ah Lam, Chang Chip, Cheong Foo, Fang Lang (or Fong Wing Sun), Lee Bing, and Ling Hee?
Professional mariners, their incredible journeys reveal an overlooked, but all-too-common, experience of inequality and discrimination. The Titanic continues to reveal a multitude of secrets, and the lives of these six men add a layer of humanity and nuance to one of the most storied shipwrecks in history.
The Houdini Club: The Epic Journey and Daring Escapes of the First Army Rangers of WWII by Mir Bahmanyar
Highlighted by the prisoner-of-war escapes that earned them the name "The Houdini Club," here is the elite combat odyssey of World War II's "Darby's Rangers" as never told before--drawing on previously unknown sources and retired Army Ranger Mir Bahmanyar's exclusive, uncensored interviews with the greatest generation of Rangers themselves.
Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers who Fought the Nazis by Suzanne Cope
From underground fighters to courageous spies, Women of War unearths the hidden history of the brave women who risked their lives to overthrow the Nazi occupation and liberate Italy. Using primary sources and recent scholarship, Cope sheds light on the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders as well as Italian fascist loyalists. Cope's research and storytelling introduces the brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and build a better future, following the lives of four central characters, Teresa, Carla, Bianca, and Anita. Women of War brings their experiences as underground resistance fighters, partisan combatants, spies, and saboteurs, to awful life. Essential and original, Women of War offers not only a re-examination of the elision of women from vital WWII history, but also a valuable perspective on the ongoing fight for gender equality and social justice. After all, these were the women who launched a worldwide feminist movement as they focused on the future of their country, and what that could mean for its women, all while under Nazi and Fascist fire.
Graphic Novel
The Legend of Kamui by Shirato Sanpei
The iconic series that launched the alt-manga bible GARO becomes available in English for the very first time.At long last, manga titan Shirato Sanpei's groundbreaking epic makes its way into English. Celebrated as a watershed of both the Japanese counterculture and dramatic, long-form storytelling in manga, The Legend of Kamui serves up clashing swords and class struggle to create a timeless political allegory set in feudal Japan. This ten-volume series is a must-have for fans of samurai and ninja manga and anime, and of other giants of post-war manga like Tezuka Osamu, Mizuki Shigeru, Tsuge Yoshiharu, and Lone Wolf and Cub's Kojima Goseki.It's the 17th century in Japan. Child outcast Kamui lives on the fringes of a miserably stratified society. Fueled by pure grit, rage, and a dash of cunning, his only way out is to take up the mantle of ninja. Follow scrappy peasants, cold-blooded ninja, and disgraced and exalted warriors as they navigate the unforgiving hardships of a violent yet hopeful age. With its vivid and critical attention to social injustice and environmental issues against a backdrop of heart-pounding action and romance, this multilayered gekiga drama not only redefined ninja and samurai fantasy, it also offers astonishing parallels with the modern day.Originally serialized between 1964 and 1971 in the legendary alt-manga magazine GARO, The Legend of Kamui is translated by social historian and decorated academic Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger.
There's No Time Like the Present by Paul B. Rainey
Paul B. Rainey’s There’s No Time Like the Present continues to upend grand science fiction gestures with a deep desire to understand the emotional lives of the common man (nerd). It’s a simple conceit: time travel is only possible between the invention of the necessary, functioning machinery and the day those machines are shut off. In that finite sliver of space-time, humanity schisms into those who defiantly refuse to look into the future, and those who reap the benefits of doing so.
After all, what would you do if you accidentally found out for certain that you would still be working the same dead end job at the age of 70? What would you do if you could read every future issue of your favorite comic? Or if you traveled back in time and couldn’t afford to travel back? Would your life actually be that different? Can we admit that there might not be such a thing as free will? Is life just a series of denials of reality? Why does that one guy have horns?
There’s No Time Like The Present proves the success of Why Don’t You Love Me? was no fluke, and is yet another brilliant graphic novel by a modern master.
Galaxy of Madness 1 by Magdalene Visaggio
In the far-flung thrilling future of the 41st Century, and on the other side of the galaxy, a swashbuckling space archaeologist, Vigil Virgo, is on the cusp of learning a universe-shattering secret in this four-color fantasy! But she'll have to dive into the abyss, where no human was ever meant to go, to do it. The question is what happens when she emerges from the other side?
Spent by Alison Bechdel
In Alison Bechdel's hilariously skewering and gloriously cast new comic novel confection, a cartoonist named Alison Bechdel, running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont, is existentially irked by a climate-challenged world and a citizenry on the brink of civil war. She wonders: Can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathingly self-critical memoir about her own greed and privilege?
Meanwhile, Alison's first graphic memoir about growing up with her father, a taxidermist who specialized in replicas of Victorian animal displays, has been adapted into a highly successful TV series. It's a phenomenon that makes Alison, formerly on the cultural margins, the envy of her friend group (recognizable as characters, now middle-aged and living communally in Vermont, from Bechdel's beloved comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For).
As the TV show Death and Taxidermy racks up Emmy after Emmy--and when Alison's Pauline Bunyanesque partner Holly posts an instructional wood-chopping video that goes viral--Alison's own envy spirals. Why couldn't she be the writer for a critically lauded and wildly popular reality TV show...like Queer Eye...showing people how to free themselves from consumer capitalism and live a more ethical life?!!
Spent's rollicking and masterful denouement--making the case for seizing what's true about life in the world at this moment, before it's too late--once again proves that "nobody does it better" (New York Times Book Review) than the real Alison Bechdel.
Teen Collection: Featured New Books
Teen Fiction
All the Noise at Once by Deandra Davis
All Aiden has ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. An overstimulation meltdown gets in the way of Aiden making the team during summer tryouts, but when the school year starts and a spot unexpectedly needs to be filled, he finally gets a chance to play the game he loves.
However, not every player is happy about the new addition to the team, wary of how Aiden's autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called.
Brandon interferes on behalf of his brother, but is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When he's wrongly charged for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away, and the brothers' relationship is tested. As Brandon's trial inches closer, Aiden is desperate to figure out what really happened that night. Can he clear his brother's name in time?
Calm by Susan Baker
In a near-future Britain, societyʼs calm facade conceals a sinister truth: the state maintains its control by meddling with the nationʼs water supply. The result? A population lulled into apathy. Lulled, apart from a courageous few known as the Resistors. New Resistor Owyn and lifelong Resistor Tiegan face parallel struggles in their fierce quest for freedom. Spurred on by the promise of a mass Resistance, they ignite a chain of events that shakes the foundations of Britainʼs oppressive regime.
One thing is clear: the price of freedom is higher than they ever imagined.
Chaos King by Kacen Callendar
Ever since he rose up against his father and saved New Anglia from destruction, Ash has been struggling to adapt to his new life. He has nightmares every night, haunted by strange black orbs and his screaming dead mother. Ash is sure she's trying to warn him that the world is still in danger, and becomes determined to find a way to speak to her again--but communicating with the dead isn't easy, even for an alchemist as powerful as Ash.
It doesn't help that violent anti-alchemist sentiment is spreading across New Anglia. When Ash is captured by a radical group, inspired by his father's legacy, he must decide if alchemist rights can be trusted in the hands of the Houses, along with his partners Callum and Ramsay--or if Ash must follow the path his father laid for him, and become the leader of an alchemist revolution.
Can Ash keep his relationships together and stop the world from falling apart?
The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta
Just like her mother and her mother's mother, 18-year-old Vanity Adams is destined to lead a lavish life under the patronship of the Museum, someday taking her place as its premiere necromantic Spectacle and the centerpiece of their weekly soirees thrown for the City's elite.
But until that day, Vanity (and the other young witches of the Museum) is isolated from the outside world and purged of her magic--magic being particularly unstable for teenagers and often leading to antisocial conduct, mood swings, bloodlust, delusions, and, most concerning, a habitual, violent obsession with one another.
To all of this, Vanity thinks: Well, whatever. Better than being confined to the Sanatorium with the less fortunate witches, imprisoned in a chemically induced coma as her blood is harvested to make World, the City's favorite designer drug. At least she'll be dead someday, there's always that. And at least the Museum has Arrogance, Vanity's twin sister, who just might remember how to do magic, and who just might be where our story begins.
First Times by Karine Glorieux
A balm for adolescent anxiety, this inclusive collection offers sometimes imperfect but always frank short stories of first sexual experiences.
Although to be honest, there isn’t ever really a first time, is there? Rather there are many: first times with yourself. First times with another person. First times you look forward to. First times you wish you could forget. First times that are sexy as hell. First times that are definitely, definitely not.
First Times: Short Stories about Sex collects nine stories by nine different authors, writing from a vast range of perspectives, cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations ― revealing how unreasonable it is to define ourselves by a single, overhyped moment. (What a relief!)
The Gone Book by Helena Close
Matt's mam left when he was 10. Now she's back in town. Matt needs to find her, to finally deliver the truth.
Gradchanted by Morgan Matson
Eighteen-year-old Cass Issac doesn't believe in sticking around. She's had to move a lot due to her dads' house-flipping business--always a different school, always a new friend group. She's learned there's no need for drawn-out-goodbyes with people you'll lose touch with anyway. Which makes Grad Nite at Disneyland the perfect way to finish up high school, and have a magical last night with her best friend, Bryony--before she leaves once again. But amid the roller coaster rides and Cars Land dance party, the night turns into one big disaster. When she meets cute British bassist Freddie Sharma, she accidentally ruins his big break. Worse still? Cass gets in a major fight with Bryony. And instead of being able to make a quick exit, she's thrown for a literal time loop. Which means the queen of ghosting has nowhere to go as she's forced to relive the most dramatic night of her life, over and over. Now, Cass will have to find a way to make things right... or be stuck at Grad Nite forever
How to Tell a True Story by Tricia Springstubb
There's nothing very special about Amber Price. She's not a star student, athlete or artist, and definitely not one of the popular kids. Her crush hardly knows she exists. At least, that's her life before. Before a fire destroys her home, before her older teenage brother Gage saves her life, before her classmates rally to stage a fundraiser, The Price of Kindness, for her family. Suddenly, Gage who was hurt in the fire is a famous hero and Amber is the center of attention at school. Everyone wants to help, everyone wants to be kind, everyone wants to tell her story.
As Amber enjoys her new popularity, she keeps her worries to herself. Her parents are arguing more than ever, and her father has moved into an apartment while the rest of them stay with Amber's aunt. And why, after he risked his life for her, is Gage keeping secrets from her? Then just days before her family will be honored in a special Price of Kindness presentation at school, she discovers how the fire started and faces huge moral question: Is it wrong to tell lies to save yourself and those you love?
The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe author Tricia Springstubb poignantly explores the way disasters impact family and community, painting a tender portrait of resilience and empathy in this young YA novel.
Igniting Fate by Jean Louise
Igniting Fate is the sequel and conclusion to WAKING FIRE, an incendiary YA fantasy that previously published from Inkyard last year and that bestselling author Sara Holland hailed as "propulsive and full of heart."
The story picks up right where WAKING FIRE left of and introduces readers to new cities and cultures drawn from North African, West African, and Middle Eastern influences.
With dragons making a splash right now in the market, and successes like Fourth Wing and So Let the World Burn captivating readers. Igniting Fate is the perfect pick me up for readers looking for more epic dragon worlds.
Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson
Two years ago, the murder of a neighbor tore three best friends apart--now the killer is going to walk free and the ex-friends are going to have to face the past--and each other--in another twisty thriller from the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Agathas.
On Again, Awkward Again by Erin Entrada Kelly
When Pacy Mercado and Cecil Holloway spot each other during the first week of freshman year, it's love at first sight. Well, more like love at first fleeting, injury-riddled glance, since the moment is ruined thanks to clumsiness and a criminal case of IBS.
Despite their total lack of game, Pacy and Cecil are drawn to each other. Seven seconds of eye contact turns into days of yearning and stress as they make the mistake of following misguided advice from their friends, dysfunctional families, and strangers on the internet.
But the universe conspires to bring Pacy and Cecil together when they both end up on the WADS committee to plan the freshman dance (that's Wakeville's Awesome Décor Society, if you must know).
As they spend more time together, they realize that the other person might be just what they need . . . that is, if they can figure out how to be themselves and embrace the mishaps, mistakes, and hilariously awkward interactions that make up their imperfectly perfect love story.
Teen Non-Fiction
King by Jonathon Eig
Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig's King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.--and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself. He casts fresh light on the King family's origins as well as MLK's complex relationships with his wife, father, and fellow activists. King reveals a minister wrestling with his own human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government, and a man determined to fight for justice even if it proved to be a fight to the death. As he follows MLK from the classroom to the pulpit to the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Memphis, Eig dramatically re-creates the journey of a man who recast American race relations and became our only modern-day founding father--as well as the nation's most mourned martyr.
In this landmark biography, Eig gives us an MLK for our times: a deep thinker, a brilliant strategist, and a committed radical who led one of history's greatest movements, and whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime.
Interabled by Shane Burcaw
Interabled follows the lives of several couples as they navigate their love story in an ableist world. Sometimes tear-jerking, sometimes funny, but always heartwarming, this moving collection comprised of interviews and short stories - with interludes from Shane and Hannah about their own dating, marriage, and IVF journey - will have readers laughing and sobbing as they discover true stories of love and commitment. With his signature wit and hilarious voice, author, blogger, and entrepreneur Shane Burcawhas put together an inspiring and true story collection of sweet, funny, and often miraculous love stories of different interabled couples.
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it. In 2019, author John Green met Henry Reider, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, preventable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing over a million people every year. In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry's story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world--and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.
The book of Awesome Queer Heroes by Eric Rosswood
The LGBTQ+ community has made countless positive impacts throughout history as scientists, world leaders, athletes, and entrepreneurs, and each one of them deserves to be celebrated in The Book of Awesome Queer Heroes into the history and achievements of famous queer icons, this LGBTQ+ book is a love letter to those who have brought love, positivity, and advancement into our society. Let author and activist Eric Rosswood and Kathleen Archambeau guide your discovery of amazing facts about each historical figure and how their lives have shaped ours in more ways than one.
Teen Graphic Novel
Blades of Furry V. 1 by Emily Erdos
Emile, a promising rookie in the high-stakes world of battle skating, learns the reigning champion Radu's secret, and must decide whether to use it to take his rival down, all the while getting closer and closer to him.
Brielle and Bear 1 by Salomey Doku
Once upon a time, Brielle met Bear. And then they fell in love.
But that's just the beginning. Fairytales have a way of twisting and swirling before you get to "happily ever after." And though modern-day Once Upon a Time University first-year, Brielle, is a dreamer, always with her nose in a book, her imagination can't help but run wild with potential romance.
To her, Bear is perfect. . . until Brielle discovers a secret he's been hiding for a long time that just might shatter their fairytale love. . . .
The Flip Side by Jason Walz
Theo's best friend has died, and he can't pull himself out of his sadness--a sadness that those around him don't seem to respect or even notice. And then something even more disconcerting happens: His town literally flips upside down and everyone disappears, except for a threatening, shape-shifting monster and a snarky teenage girl who knows her way around this flipped world. Is Theo doomed to spend the rest of his life in this scary state?
Tremendously unique and suspenseful, The Flip Side tackles grief and depression in a fascinating and affecting way.
Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries
In the not-too-distant future, most of humanity resides on its last-ditch effort at utopia: Meridian, a remote alien planet where you're more likely to be born superhuman than left-handed. None of that is important to Oberon Afolayan. Since his mildly public breakdown, his whole life seems to be spiraling out of control--from dropping out of university to breaking up with his boyfriend, it seems like only a karmic inevitability when he wakes up one day with the ability to conjure his dreams in the real world. Oberon's newfound powers come with a facsimile of his high school crush, Kon, who mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet almost three years ago and who is a little more infuriating (if not also infuriatingly hot) than Oberon remembers. Kon makes it his mission to turn Oberon's life around, and while they struggle to get a handle on his powers and his disastrous personal life (not to mention the appearance of strange nightmare creatures), it turns out this dream version of Kon has secrets of his own--dangerous ones. Oberon might have more on his plate than he originally thought, but is giving up his dreams--even the one he might have accidentally fallen in love with--the only way to find happiness in reality?
Juvenile Collection: Featured New Books
Juvenile Chapter Books & Early Chapter Books
The Bad Idea and Other Stories by Greg Pizzoli
Earl, a cheerful bird who loves playing saxophone, and Worm, a quiet bookworm, overcome their differences with lemonade, creativity, and sharing their stories, becoming the best of friends.
Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
In the spring of 1776, thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannons. It's the Siege of Boston, the Patriots' massive drive to push the Loyalists out that turns the city into a chaotic war zone. Elsbeth's father--her only living relative--has gone missing, leaving her alone and adrift in a broken town while desperately seeking employment to avoid the orphanage.
Just when things couldn't feel worse, the smallpox epidemic sweeps across Boston. Now, Bostonians must fight for their lives against an invisible enemy in addition to the visible one. While a treatment is being frantically fine-tuned, thousands of people rush in from the countryside begging for inoculation. At the same time, others refuse protection, for the treatment is crude at best and at times more dangerous than the disease itself.
Elsbeth, who had smallpox as a small child and is now immune, finds work taking care of a large, wealthy family with discord of their own as they await a turn at inoculation, but as the epidemic and the revolution rage on, will she find her father?
A Day at the Beach by Gary D. Schmidt
Here's what's so cool about the beach. Kids are everywhere! Kids you know, kids you want to know. Wandering from one blanket to another, from one family to another. Somebody's mom reads a fat summer novel. Somebody's dad snores with an iPad on his chest. Babies cry. Girls laugh. Frisbee players whoop! Kites in the perfect blue sky.
Some kids bodysurf. Some don't even like the water. They build sand cities for their friends and sand jails for the grown-ups, and when the tide comes in everything gets washed away.
There's the other world, where all kids hear is tomorrow, next week, next year. And then there's the beach, where everything is right now!
Why can't every day be a day at the beach?
From two-time Newbery honoree Gary D. Schmidt and two-time PEN Award winner Ron Koertge comes a moving and often laugh-out-loud funny middle grade novel about family, friendship, and belonging, told by a group of kids spending a day at the beach. Thoughtful vignettes brilliantly weave together an irresistible tale of tween conflict and connections.
The Dragon's Apprentice by Riley James
In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother.
Candle Island by Lauren Wolk
Lucretia Sanderson has a secret.
Lucretia and her mother have come to tiny Candle Island, Maine (Population: Summer, 986; Winter, 315) to escape--escape memories of the car accident that killed her father and escape the journalists that hound her mother, a famous and reclusive artist. The rocky coast and ocean breeze are a welcome respite for Lucretia, who dedicates her summer days to painting, exploring the island, and caring for an orphaned osprey chick.
But Candle Island has secrets of its own--a hidden room in her new house, a mysterious boy with a beautiful voice--and just like the strong tides that surround the shores, they will catch Lucretia in their wake.
With an unforgettable New England setting and a complex web of relationships old and new, Candle Island is a powerful story about art, loss, and the power of being true to your own voice.
Dreamslinger by Graci Kim
Fourteen-year-old Aria Loveridge lives at the Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers, a safe haven for children born with a genetic mutation that transports them to a powerfully magical realm while they sleep. But this magic can be unpredictable--even deadly. After all, it was only ten years ago when members of the Royal League of Dreamslingers caused the Great Outburst--a tragedy that killed hundreds of people, including Aria's mom.
Since then, Aria's dad has become leading expert on Dreamslinger Welfare, which means Aria knows better than most what it takes to keep society safe from her, and others like her: separation, identification, and most importantly, power suppression.
So when the Kingdom of Royal Hanguk--home of the Dreamslinger League--announces the first Dreamslinger trials where teenage slingers from around the world are invited to compete for a chance to join the League and learn how to use their powers, Aria knows what she must do: join the trials and take down the League from the inside.
But the Trials introduce Aria to a world of wonderous magic and friendship, a world where she finally feels like she belongs. And as dark secrets from the past are revealed--ones that make Aria question her very identity--she becomes even more determined to discover the truth for herself. She just has to survive the trials first.
Juvenile Non-Fiction
Hockey all-stars : fast-paced athletes with stick and puck
All-Stars are the elite of the elite. Discover the legends that still stand head and shoulders above the rest, and today's stick and puck heroes playing one of the fastest and toughest sports in the world. All-Stars are the gold standard - share their triumphs!
Hiking Adventures by Bear Grylls
Embark on an amazing hiking adventure with Bear Grylls, Learn how to cross a river, forge a trail, and how to stay safe while out hiking, Includes step-by-step instructions and tips from Bear.
There's Science in Balloons by Cecile Jugla
This award-winning series of books was created to develop children's curiosity, creativity, and scientific mind through a hands-on approach and the pleasure of "doing." There are 10 simple and surprising activities and experiments for children 4+ in each book, focusing on discovering basic scientific principles using one everyday object.
Vet academy : are you ready for the challenge by Steve Martine
The crucial topics required to become a veterinarian are covered in this unique activity book --from examining incredible animal anatomy, mastering key observation skills, and learning the importance of vital tasks such as vaccination, to understanding the basics of animal care, recognizing how to differentiate between species, and exploring the three main veterinary fields: pet vet, farm vet, and zoo vet. And it's packed full of fun craft activities, cool quizzes, and super skill tests. The Vet Kit section contains all sorts of goodies--stickers, a poster, game, and game cards to play with friends.
Working with machines by Sonya Newland
Find out how the six simple machines -- levers, pulleys, wheels, planes, wedges, and screws -- work, and how engineers put them to use. Build your own pulley system, experiment with levers, and more!
See inside the universe by Alex Frith
What's the Universe made of? Where did everything come from? Just what lies out in the far reaches of space? Lift the flaps to see some of the amazing discoveries astronomers have made in their quest to unlock the mysteries of the Universe.
Juvenile Graphic Novel
Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi
It's almost sunset, and Hassan has been dreaming about eating since the sun came up. The month of Ramadan has begun, and not eating until sundown intensifies his already busy days full of homework, soccer, and gaming. And since his teachers and friends at school barely understand Ramadan and its traditions, it's easier to just...not mention it.
As the month stretches on, Hassan's family and community grow closer together. They wake up before sunrise every morning, feast when the sun goes down, and attend mosque in the evenings. Can Hassan balance it all during the hectic holy month--faith, tradition, school, and fun, too?
How to Talk to Your Succulent by Zoe Persico
Eleven-year-old Adara and her dad are moving from California to the cold and flat lands of Michigan . . . and it sucks. After Mom's recent passing, it seems way too soon. Talking to Dad has always been harder than with Mom, but now it's like walking on eggshells. And why did Dad bring so many of Mom's houseplants across the country? Her mother might have been called the "plant whisperer" back home, but Adara is beginning to wonder if there is something more to it. But when she meets a little succulent named Perle, she unlocks the same magical ability her mother had: talking to plants!
But taking care of Perle isn't as easy as it seems -- the environment isn't suited for her, and Adara doesn't know how to meet her needs. Kind of like the situation Adara herself is in. If only Perle could ask Adara for help . . . and Adara could ask her dad.
With a touch of magic, this debut middle-grade graphic novel explores loneliness, mental health and empathy, and shows how communication, openness and a willingness to listen can help young people -- and older people -- and plants! -- navigate their mental well-being and heal from loss, individually and together.
The Mysterious New Girl by Kay Healy
Casey wants nothing more than to be a detective. No mystery is too big or small for her to tackle! OK, so she doesn't see everything coming--mean girl Dina always has the last word, and Casey is constantly falling into embarrassing disasters in front of cute boy AJ.
But now, it's Casey's eleventh birthday, and she's just been given a magnifying glass and a pair of binoculars--perfect gifts for today's mystery: Mr. Muffin, a cat Casey's parents insist is too big to be a hungry stray. Will Casey manage to convince them he belongs with her? More importantly, could that new girl in school be the perfect contender for a new best friend? Casey's on the job, and she won't stop till all cases are closed.
Fresh talent Kay Healy's winsome heroine, crackling wit, and charmingly geometric characters alchemize to comedy gold. Voracious young comics fans won't want to miss Casey's laugh-out-loud debut.
Dragonforged: Sword of the Champion by Eric Lide
Orin discovers that he's the reincarnation of a great hero, destined to defeat the evil Fiendlord. And he might actually have a shot--in the years since he conquered the world, the Fiendlord has become lazy. Orin is the perfect motivation to get back in shape and relive his glory years, and hopefully regain the respect of his unimpressed teenage daughter. Embarking on a quest for a mystical sword, Orin teams up with a precocious, entrepreneurial sorceress who's ready to launch Orin's career as the Champion of Draeland--which would be much easier if he didn't keep befriending the Fiends they're supposed to destroy.
Juvenile Early Readers
Biscuit's Puppy Sleepover by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
For fans of Clifford and Spot, welcome everybody's favorite little yellow puppy, Biscuit, in an I Can Read adventure! When Biscuit, the curious little puppy, and his Little Girl have a sleepover, there's loads of puppy fun! Sleepovers are the best, especially with other puppy friends! But will Biscuit the little yellow puppy be able to find a stuffed animal to sleep with?
Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Pat Schories delight with another playful My First I Can Read adventure for beginning readers that is sure to bring joy to devoted fans and the newest of readers alike.
The gentle and appealing Biscuit books are a wonderful first introduction to reading for little pups, and this My First I Can Read friendship tale is perfect for shared reading in a classroom or at home. Books at this level feature basic language, word repetition and illustrations that support the text; ideal for sharing with emergent readers. The active, engaging stories have appealing plots and lovable characters, encouraging children to continue their reading journey.
Daring dinosaur by DK
Daring Dinosaur teaches readers all about dinosaurs, with the help of a ditzy daring dinosaur! It is a motivating introduction to using essential nonfiction reading skills, proving ideal for children ready to enter the riveting world of reading.
DK Super Readers take children on a journey through the wonderful world of nonfiction: traveling back to the time of dinosaurs, learning more about animals, exploring natural wonders, and more, all while developing vital nonfiction reading skills and progressing from first words to reading confidently.
L. Frank Baum's the Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Deborah Hautzig
When a tornado hits her farmhouse in Kansas, Dorothy is caught up in a whirlwind of adventure, complete with flying monkeys, talking lions, and silver slippers. Advanced readers will join Dorothy, Toto, and her friends from Oz on an unforgettable journey down the Yellow Brick Road in this Level 4 reader.
The Wizard of Oz will now join classics like The Secret Garden and Alice in Wonderland in the Penguin Young Readers program
Sleepover Night! by Candice F Ransom
It's sleepover time! Join Brother and Sister as they spend a night away from home in this Step 1 reader, perfect for children who know their alphabet and are eager to learn how to read! The Day kids series is full of family fun!
This Is Rey by Lucasfilm Press
Young Star Wars fans and reluctant readers can learn all about how Rey went from scavenger to Jedi in this level 1 reader that recaps her hero's journey across all three sequel films.
The World of Reading early readers are designed to offer reluctant readers books they will want to read by featuring stories about the characters they love from a galaxy far, far away, all with certified levels that ensure text is at a reader-appropriate level alongside full-color illustrations on every page!
Juvenile Picture Books
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?
1) They spend all their time in the water where we can't see them.
2) Some are as big as a bus--that is not okay.
3) We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools."
4) They are likely plotting our doom.
This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.
The Littlest Drop by Sascha Alper
When a fire starts near their home, all of the animals--from the largest elephant to the smallest ant--are too scared to do anything but watch. All, that is, except for one tiny hummingbird. She knows she must do something to save her nest. She must do what she can.
This empowering picture book celebrates the idea that every one of us--from the smallest to the largest--has something to offer, and if we all work together, we can make the world a better, greener place.
Odder by Katherine Applegate
Adapted from Katherine Applegate's novel ODDER, a New York Times bestseller for over a year, this picture book follows Odder's rescue and subsequent new role as a mentor to other rescued otter pups.
Cats in Construction Hats by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Colourful cats in construction hats are on the job to build a house in this adorable, bouncy, rhyming picture book! Kids will delight in learning about colours while giggling at the hilarious antics of these forklift driving kitties.
Bored Panda by Mike Bender
For Panda, there is NOTHING worse than being bored. It's just so...boring.
But what's a tech-loving panda to do when there's no electricity? Skeptical that the great outdoors will cure his boredom, Panda nonetheless sets out on a day full of surprises. They might even turn out to be fun surprises!
From the duo behind The Most Serious Fart comes a very not boring tale about how boredom is never really boredom--it's a chance to discover all the fun waiting to be had!
Mistaco by Eliza Kinkz
After an awful day at school (including a tragic but plausibly deniable mishap with a pudding cup), Izzy wants to be left alone. But it's Friday, and that means making tortillas with Lito.
As the mistakes pile up, they come tumbling out of Izzy--and Lito surprises her by saying everyone makes mistakes, and if she makes a tortilla out of her mistakes, he will EAT it.
"Mmmm. . .spicy! And boogery! With a hint of courage. My favorite taco EVER!"
Suddenly, the whole family is confessing and getting mistakes off their chests with a feast of mistacos! A delightfully silly picture book for fans of Greg Pizzoli and Oh, Olive! by Lian Cho.
A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer
What if you moved to a new place and found a hand-drawn local guidebook, left there just for you? In A Book of Maps for You, an artistic young person gives just such a gift. He's crafted and annotated maps of his neighborhood, school, and house; no slide, orange tree, or chicken coop left uncharted.
He points out the best Halloween decorations, school lunches, and local stops for baked goods, books, or art supplies. He shows the best place to put your bed upstairs, right under the skylight. Just as his family's moving truck pulls away, another pulls up, and sure enough, his book finds its way into the next child's hands.
During a big move, a child can feel a lot of pressure to open their heart to the place they're headed. But what about the roads they've been down hundreds of times? The faces they've grown up seeing? The house where they know every bang of the pipes and drip of the faucet? That history deserves care, too.
A Book of Maps for You honors the homes we leave behind and the ones we haven't met yet, reminding us that they may just be two sides of the same coin. Lourdes Heuer's achingly subtle text speaks volumes in all it pays attention to, and all it doesn't have to say. Maxwell Eaton III's signature detail-rich illustrations perfectly suggest the work of a talented child, and promise plenty of surprises to drink in and explore on each page.
Media Collection: Featured New Items
DVD and Blu-ray
A Complete Unknown
New York, 1961. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota named Bob Dylan arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide.
What Are UFO's?
Unidentified Flying Objects have long captivated the imagination of the public, but for decades most scientists treated the subject as taboo. Now, these mysterious phenomena are moving out of the shadows and into the light, as NASA pledges to study them scientifically. So, what exactly does science have to say on the matter? This new NOVA investigation looks at the evidence from every angle, marshaling expert opinions from physicists, engineers, cosmologists, and others who are bringing new technologies and heightened rigor to solving these mysteries. How can new ground-based sensors and crowdsourcing of data help explain what military pilots and others have seen? Many of these sightings can be attributed to physical objects like balloons or drones, weather phenomena, or optical illusions, but others so far remain mysterious. What other potential explanations remain? Could they be the result of secret new technologies developed by other governments - or our own? And what would it take for alien engineers to traverse vast distances to send probes or visit Earth from other solar systems?
Companion
A group of old friends reunite at a secluded mansion, but their weekend getaway goes sideways when someone is not what they seem.
Flight Risk
A pilot transports an Air Marshal accompanying a fugitive to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
Star Trek: Section 31
Academy Award® winner Michelle Yeoh reprises her fan-favorite role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou a character she played in Star Trek: Discovery who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.
Juvenile DVD and Blu-ray
Mufasa: The Lion King
Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny.
Dog Man
Dog Man, half dog and half man, he is sworn to protect and serve as he doggedly pursues the feline supervillain Petey the Cat.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog returns to the big screen this holiday season in his most thrilling adventure yet. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.
Aquateam: Sea Adventures
Marysun and Otty set sail from their base on the coast of Sardinia to explore and defend the marine environment and its incredible creatures!
Video Games
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Experience an epic action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi assassin and powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos.
Two Point Museum
Build and manage your dream museum, keeping visitors, donors and your employees happy; includes Explorer Edition Pack DLC.
Split Fiction
You and your co-op partner will become Mio and Zoe, two writers trapped in a simulation of their own imaginations after a high-tech attempt to steal their creative ideas goes badly wrong. This pair of strangers will need to learn to work together in order to escape with their memories and stories intact. Prepare to deal with dragons and trolls in Zoe's fantasy worlds and cyber ninjas and robo-parking attendants in Mio's sci-fi creations
WWE 2K25
Experience a gripping retelling of WrestleMania's greatest moments in 2K Showcase of the Immortals in WWE 2K24, where you can relive a collection of some of the most unforgettable, career-defining matches.