May We Suggest

Fun home [kit] : a family tragicomic by 1960- Alison Bechdel

A fresh and brilliantly told memoir from a cult favorite comic artist, marked by gothic twists, a family funeral home, sexual angst, and great books. This breakout book by Alison Bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitch-perfectly illustrated with Bechdel's sweetly gothic drawings. Like Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, it's a story exhilaratingly suited to graphic memoir form. Meet Alison's father, a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the family's Victorian home, a third-generation funeral home director, a high school English teacher, an icily distant parent, and a closeted homosexual who, as it turns out, is involved with his male students and a family babysitter. Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and fiercely funny, we are drawn into a daughter's complex yearning for her father. And yet, apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the family-owned "fun home," as Alison and her brothers call it, the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books. When Alison comes out as homosexual herself in late adolescence, the denouement is swift, graphic -- and redemptive. CPL's Lunch and a Book Group gave this title 2.5 stars out of 5. This kit contains 10 copies of the title.

August Snow [kit] by Stephen Mack Jones

The son of an African American father and a Mexican mother, August grew up in Detroit's Mexicantown and joined the Detroit police only to be drummed out of the force by a conspiracy of corrupt cops and politicians. But August fought back; he took on the city and got himself a $12 million wrongful dismissal settlement that left him low on friends. He has just returned to the house he grew up in after a year away and quickly learns he has many scores to settle. CPL's Lunch and a Book Group gave this title 4.5 stars out of 5. This kit contains 10 copies of the title.

The salt line : a novel [kit] by Holly Goddard Jones

In an unspecified future, the United States' borders have receded behind a salt line - a ring of scorched earth that protects its citizens from deadly disease-carrying ticks. Those within the zone live safe lives in a society controlled by a common fear. Few have any reason to venture out of zone, except for the adrenaline junkies who pay a fortune to tour what's left of nature. Once out of zone, this group finds itself at the mercy of deadly ticks - and at the center of a murderous plot. How far are they are willing to go to get to the right side of the salt line? CPL's Lunch and a Book Group gave this title 3 stars out of 5. This kit contains 10 copies of the title.

What was it like to be a student in a small, one-room schoolhouse, where students of all ages learned together under the direction of a single teacher? We've curated a list of recommended fiction and non-fiction for you to read all about it.

Want to take it a step further to create a more hands-on experience? Check out our Experience History: Old School kit! With the candle, slate, chalk, and McGuffey Primer included in the kit, you can act out an old-fashioned school day - the perfect activity for a cozy weekend at home.

Fiction

The books are all memoirs that are fun to read or listen to. Enjoy one today! 

Also available in: e-book | audiobook

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man's relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother--his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life. The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother's unconventional, unconditional love. 

Also available in: e-book | audiobook

Jenny Lawson explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea. But terrible ideas are what Jenny does best. As Jenny says : "Some people might think that being 'furiously happy' is just an excuse to be stupid and irresponsible and invite a herd of kangaroos over to your house without telling your husband first because you suspect he would say no since he's never particularly liked kangaroos. And that would be ridiculous because no one would invite a herd of kangaroos into their house. Two is the limit. I speak from personal experience. My husband says that none is the new limit. I say he should have been clearer about that before I rented all those kangaroos.

National Poetry Month Biographies

Celebrate National Poetry Month by getting to know more about the lives of some of our greatest poets:
 

Longfellow: a rediscovered life by Charles C. Calhoun

 

 

Yeats's ghosts: the secret life of W.B. Yeats by Brenda Maddox

 

 

 

 

Dylan Thomas: a new life by Andrew Lycett

 

 

 

 

From noon to starry night: a life of Walt Whitman by Philip Callow

 

 

 

 

20 Great Reads for Black History Month

 

The following titles may be enjoyed by Sixth Graders. All readers are at different levels and have different interests, so not all titles will appeal to, or be appropriate for, all readers. For additional recommendations ask at the Children's Reference Desk.

Fiction

Fiction books for Sixth Graders can be found in a variety of locations, including J FICTION and KIDS GRAPHIC NOVEL. Click on each title for location and availability.

You may be a fan of the Avengers series and watching Thor fight to protect Earth. Or maybe you are a fan of Rick Riordan's newest series featuring Magnus Chase (also available as an audiobook). (PSST! The sequel, titled The Hammer of Thor, will release this October but you can add your name to the hold list today!) Regardless, there are other books featuring your favorite figures from Norse mythology. Pick one up or place a request to see other sides of Anglo-Saxon lore.

Frostborn by Lou Anders

Destined to take over his family farm in Norrørd, Karn would rather play the board game, Thrones and Bones, until half-human, half frost giantess Thianna appears and they set out on an adventure, chased by a dragon, undead warriors, an evil uncle, and more.

Loki's wolves by Kelley Armstrong

"Matt Thorsen is a direct descendent of the order-keeping god Thor, and his classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke are descendents of the trickster god Loki. When Ragnarok--the apocalypse--threatens, the human descendents of the gods must fight monsters to stop the end of the world."--.

What if WWI was fought with genetically altered animals? What if rock and roll started in Victorian England, or the X-Men were around in the 16th century? What if, what if, what if? These books ask the hard questions, and then try to figure out how history would have progressed, had just one thing changed.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.... Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly--but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family's spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library's service. When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life--and soon both heretics and books will burn....

Marvel 1602 / by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman's vision of the Marvel Universe in the year 1602 The year is 1602, and strange things are stirring in England. In the service of Queen Elizabeth, court magician Dr. Stephen Strange senses that the bizarre weather plaguing the skies above is not of natural origin. Her majesty's premier spy, Sir Nicholas Fury, fends off an assassination attempt on the Queen by winged warriors rumored to be in service to a mad despot named Doom. News is spreading of witchbreed sightings - young men bearing fantastic superhuman powers and abilities. And in the center of the rising chaos is Virginia Dare, a young girl newly arrived from the New World, guarded by a towering Indian warrior. Can Fury and his allies find a connection to these unusual happenings before the whole world ends? In Marvel 1602, award-winning writer Neil Gaiman presents a unique vision of the Marvel Universe set four hundred years in the past. Daredevil appear in this intriguing world of 17th- century science and sorcery, instantly familiar to readers, yet subtly different in this new time. Marvel 1602 combines classic Marvel action and adventure with the historically accurate setting of Queen Elizabeth's reign to create a unique series unlike any other published by Marvel Comics

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - May We Suggest