Children & YA Staff Picks
Darius struggles to fit in, in America and in Iran. And he worries he'll never quite fit in - then he meets Sohrab, his first Real friend. You will love their dynamic. And I think you'll love the way Adib Khorram portrays depression.
- Kendall
This Time It's Real is a YA rom-com following an aspiring writer who accidentally goes viral for a personal essay about her made-up love life. Swaying on the power line between heart-wrenching angst and laugh-out-loud hilarity, TTIR is an authentic portrait of fear, loneliness, the bone-ache sadness of not having a place to call "home," and what it means to love even and especially when you're scared, even and especially when it hurts.
- Cindy
In this delightful and heart-wrenching chapter book, our hero Mo sets out to lay the ghost of an elephant to rest - while battling her family's expectations, her community's racism, and her own worst impulses. Susan Tan is a genius!!
- Piera
If you’ve spent any amount of time in Boston, there’s a good chance you’ve visited the Make Way for Ducklings statue in the Common. This book tells the story of how that statue came to be complete with some beautiful illustrations, making it the perfect souvenir for a Boston trip or companion for the original beloved picture book.
This is a very clever little book with a clever little design. Make sure to check out the inside back cover!**
**supplied by a variety of staff members
Celebrate the magic of sharing a book with this joyful journey and colorful illustrations! While you share this book with your young reader, you'll fall in love with public libraries all over again :)
- Manasa
Read this book if you liked Wilderlore, Eragon, or stories set at magic schools. Bond with a unicorn who acts like dragons, compete in races, and buckle up for an adventure whose sequel is conveniently out this month!
- Murphy
Do you like animals? Do you like pretty colors? What about words? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have a feeling this book is for you.
- Jane
When Mo ends up in foster care after her grandmother's death, she turns to other people's family recipes as a way to connect.
- Sarah
Sweet dreamscapes captured and crystallized. If one were to call any book a lullaby, it would be this one. Beautiful and inexplicably touching.
- Stacey
One day, The Chronicles of Deltovia will be published, and then Misha, June, and Ollie will be famous authors (and will get their revenge on that kid who made fun of their drawing skills). Until then, the three friends share this journal, sketchbook, and novel-in-progress, and we get to read along while they imagine the fantasy world of Deltovia and deal with middle school gym class. Our household 6th-grader loved this hilarious, inventive book by the author of the comic strip Nancy.
What happens when a boa constrictor goes on a field trip? Nonsense, that's what. This was my favorite picture book as a child (and still is as an adult), in equal parts because of the funny chain of cause-and-effect and the vibrant illustrations. This is my go-to gift for kids' birthdays, and it has yet to disappoint.
You Bring the Distant Near is a powerful multi-generational YA tale of the women of one Indian American family. The novel is rich in character development of all of the women, and it builds for a funny and emotional story of family, love, activism, cultural identity, and more. All five women captured my whole heart, and I think they will capture yours too.
- April
Children’s book legend Say evocatively chronicles his grandfather’s immigration from Japan to the U.S. and back, along with all the excitement and longing of that experience. Told simply, the book still manages to convey the complexity and non-linearity of his immigration story. With nostalgic, awe-inspiring watercolor illustrations that won Say the 1994 Caldecott.
- Rachael
SO CUTE.
- Katie