Our June display at the Main Library is now up! Check out the latest books, DVDs, and CDs recommended by MPL staff!
June MPL Staff Recommendations
Fiction
- The Sandcastle Girls, by Chris Bohjalian. “A historical novel about the Armenian genocide, which began exactly 100 years ago. Even though this novel describes the attempted extermination of an entire culture, it is character-driven and still manages to be an uplifting story about life and hope.” ~Julia
- The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells. “A book about time travel.” ~Gabriel
Young Adult Fiction
- Talon, by Julie Kagawa. “What’s cooler than Teen Dragons? One of them falling in love with a Dragon Hunter.” ~Dauna
Juvenile Fiction
- Bad Kitty Gets a Bath / Bad Kitty no quiere bañarse, by Nick Bruel. “In appearance and behaviour, Bad Kitty is the (literally) spitting image of one of my two cats!” ~John
- The Magician’s Nephew, by C. S. Lewis. “Those who have read and enjoyed The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis will delight in reading the first book in the Narnia series, especially since this book explains where the White Witch came from, and how Narnia got its start as well as the two curious children who were the first to discover other worlds besides our own.” ~Jacqui
- Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool. “An excellent adventure story of a little girl’s journey to find a connection to her estranged father by discovering his past in the small town of Manifest, Kansas. Author Clare Vanderpool will keep you riveted with parallel yet distant stories of a boy, a girl, and their connection to a small town.” ~Rolando
- Navigating Early, by Clare Vanderpool. “Two boys, Jack Baker and Early Auden take on a quest along the Appalachian Trail and have the adventure of a lifetime. Early’s obsession with the never-ending number of Pi creates a story that parallels the boys adventures in a strange way. This odyssey is of a captivating story you will truly enjoy reading. A Michael L. Printz Honor Winner.” ~Rolando
Picture Book Fiction
- The Rough-Face Girl, by Rafe Martin. “This story mirrors the classic Cinderella tale of young girl who lives a sad life and whose older sisters take advantage of her. The girl’s pure heart, determination and self reliance sets her free in the end when she ends up with the Invisible Being.” ~Dina
- Duck On A Bike, by David Shannon. “Well drawn, humorous illustrations; fun to read for both kids and parents.” ~John
Graphic Novels
- Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, by Joel Christian Gill. “With an introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this graphic novel (a.k.a. comic book) tells the sometimes heroic, sometimes amazing stories of African Americans whom you may not have heard of before.” ~Kate
Science Fiction
- Cuckoo’s Egg, by C. J. Cherryh. “Cherryh is one of the few science fiction authors who is able to create aliens that are suitably alien in their thought processes and it is fascinating to read a story told from a non-human perspective.” ~Robert
- Good Omens: the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Neil Gaiman. “One of the funniest books that I’ve ever read, a collaboration between two fantastic authors each writing at the top of their game.” ~Robert
- A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness. “It’s Twilights meets Beautiful Creatures, but for adults!” ~Becky
Biography
- 41: Un retrato de mi padre, by George W. Bush. “Más que una biografía, 41 nos ofrece las lecciones que un hijo aprende del hombre al que admira y adora.” ~Ema
- I am Malala : The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai. “This extrodianary book vividly describes the courage of a young girl who stood up for education and women’s rights. Her courage gained her enemies and became the main target for Taliban.” ~Naomi
Nonfiction
- Japanese Lessons : A Year in a Japanese School Through the Eyes of an American Anthropologist and Her Children, by Gail Benjamin. [372.952 Ben c1] “A wonderful compare/contrast/discover book about not only the educational systems in Japan, but also their culture and way of life. ” ~Nancy
- The Learning Gap : Why Our Schools Are Failing and What We Can Learn from Japanese and Chinese Education, by Harold W. Stevenson. [372.973 Ste c1] “Not a cure-all, definitely not a magic potion or equation, but definitely as in-depth a look as can be condensed in a book about the differences, advantages and disadvantages of three educational systems, placing the US system through the biggest lens.” ~Nancy
- Think Like A Cat, by Pam Johnson-Bennett. [636.8083 Joh] “Advice that makes all the difference when raising a cat of any age, and for managing a multi-cat household before it becomes a battleground!” ~Elizabeth
- Soup For Two, by Joanna Pruess. [641.5612 Pru] “I absolutely hate soup but I picked this up and by the time I was at the last page not only was I craving soup but wanting these soups to pop out of the pages and onto my table at home.” ~Jessica
- Makeup Is Art, edited by the Academy of Freelance Makeup. [646.726 Mak] “Great tutorials and tips about makeup techniques.” ~Priscilla
- Blueprint Small: Creative Ways to Live with Less, by Michelle Kodis. [728.3 Kod] “Creative ways of living with less. ” ~Eduardo
- En la mente de los superheroes, by Juan Scaliter y Manuel Cuadrado. [SP 741.5352 Sca] “A través de personajes súper héroes, este libro explora la física y la química del cerebro de una manera atractiva y entretenida.” ~Ema
- As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, by Cary Elwes. [791.4372 Elw] “Any one who loves the movie The Princess Bride will enjoy this book full of back stage goings on from the actor who played Westley.” ~Andra
- New Border Voices: an Anthology, edited by Brandon D. Shuler, Robert Johnson, and Erika Garza-Johnson. [813.0108 New] “A great anthology of short stories and poems depicting life on the Texas borderlands.” ~Priscilla
BLU Ray/DVDs
- The Fall, directed by Tarsem Singh. [DVD 791.43 Fal c1] “Awesome movie as well as visually stunning. Filmed in thirteen countries, it was an outstanding piece of film.” ~Eduardo
- Harold and Maude, directed by Hal Ashby. [DVD 791.4372 Har c1] “This movie will transform the way you see life, love, and death, set to a stellar soundtrack by Cat Stevens.” ~Elizabeth
- Call the Midwife, season 1, directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, Jamie Payne. [DVD 791.4575 Cal] “This well-acted dramatic series shows what life was like for working class women and the medical workers who served them, not that long ago.” ~Beverly
- Doc Martin, season 1, directed by Ben Bolt. [DVD 791.4575 Doc] “Call him irascible, curmudgeonly or downright rude but Doctor Ellingham knows his medicine and isn’t afraid to speak his mind.” ~Beverly
We hope you enjoy these selections! Stay tuned for next month’s recommendations.
