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Arc of a Scythe Series

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Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

In a distant future, disease, hunger, and war are things of the past – humanity has conquered death. A benevolent AI called the Thunderhead holds all human knowledge, watches over the population (literally), prevents crime, alerts the ambu-drones in case of accidental ‘death’ (leaving a person ‘deadish,’ which is reversible), and generally prevents poverty and other issues in society. Scythes have taken on the responsibility of culling the population to sustainable levels. If killed by a Scythe, death is permanent. The only area in which the Thunderhead does not intervene is Scythe business.

Teenagers Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a Scythe. They are trained to glean compassionately. But there is a new order of Scythes in the Scythedom – those who take pleasure in killing and don’t appreciate the restrictions placed on them. The conflict between the traditional Scythes and the new order follows Citra and Rowan throughout the trilogy. The dichotomy between the Scythedom and the Thunderhead is an important angle to the story as well. Another teenager, Grayson, becomes an important part of the Thunderhead’s story in the second book.

Citra, Rowan, and Grayson travel around the world over the course of the trilogy, leading to a final confrontation in the Land of Nod between the old order and the new, and the Thunderhead and Scythedom.

For fans of Shusterman’s Unwind and Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, or anyone who enjoys a good trilogy (all three books have been released – no waiting years for the next installment)!

Series Order:
Book 1: Scythe
Book 2: Thunderhead
Book 3: The Toll

Find all the books in the catalog.

Your Happiest You: the care & keeping of your mind and spirit

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Your Happiest You: the care & keeping of your mind and spirit by Judy Woodburn
Format: book
Who it’s for: Kids & Teens

Being happy is something we want for our kids but how can we help them get there?  This book is full of great insight and practical ideas about achieving happiness and is written in an inviting style that makes it very accessible to elementary and middle school age kids.

We teach our kids to take care of their bodies by eating right, exercising, and brushing their teeth so it makes sense to help them learn to take care of their mind and spirit at the same time.  With this book, kids can try out simple exercises to find internal calm, have better relationships with friends and family, enjoy the world around them, and think about how their attitude affects their feelings.

This book is published by American Girl Publishing so it is more geared toward girls but the concepts and advice apply to boys just as well.  Another wonderful book in this Care & Keeping of You series is Liking Herself which talks about developing good self-esteem.

Find it in the catalog

Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of ’80s and ’90s Teen Fiction

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Paperback Crush by Gabrielle Moss
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

This book is for every millennial who fondly remembers the Scholastic Book Fair as the most exciting day of the school year or whose frequent library visits always resulted in checking out stacks of neon-bound paperbacks to be voraciously read on the bus, under the covers, or anywhere else one could squeeze in a chapter or two (or three!). This lovingly compiled catalog of quintessential ‘80s and ‘90s tween and teen fiction covers the more well-known titles, like The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High, as well as plenty of more obscure, perhaps forgotten titles. Each chapter of the book is devoted to a different theme popular with books from the period, ranging from the mundane: love, friends, family, school, and jobs, but ending with more extreme chapters about danger and terror! No matter the chapter though, any nostalgic reader will find themselves wistfully reminiscing about those cheesy, yet life-shaping paperbacks of their youth.

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The Art of Racing in the Rain

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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Format: Book
Who It’s for: Adults and Young Adults

 

This story is about Denny Swift, a race-car driver and rep. for a BMW dealer in Seattle Washington and his dog Enzo. Told from Enzo’s perspective and his belief in the legend that a dog “who is prepared” will be reincarnated in his next life as a human. Enzo also loves watching T.V. documentaries and racing.
Denny adopts Enzo from a farm as a pup. Denny and Enzo begin their journey together where Enzo struggles to hone his humanness and Denny soon meets and marries Eve. Eventually they have a daughter named Zoe. Enzo is devoted to Denny, Eve and Zoe.
Life has many difficulties and sometimes the unthinkable happens. Enzo describes to the reader his life with Denny and his family, the bond he has with each of them and the great struggle they go through when Eve develops brain cancer. In addition, to a surprise and shocking custody struggle of Zoe with Eve’s parents and Denny.
Enzo gleans his knowledge through the television shows and documentaries that he watches. He has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, but cannot understand why a dog does not have thumbs. He does his best to communicate with his family even though he cannot talk.
Enzo sees that life, like racing, is not simply about going fast.

This book is one of the best I have ever read. The story told through Enzo’s point of view. It is happy, sad, traumatic and charmingly funny.
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Emily and the Mighty Om

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Emily and the Mighty Om by Sarah Lolley
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Children

Poor Albert has gotten himself all twisted up like a pretzel!  While practicing yoga, he attempted an especially tricky asana and found that he couldn’t untwist from it.  He thought it would be easy, but slowly found himself becoming more and more nervous until… his limbs just stayed stuck.  Laying there on the lawn, all twisted up from head to toe all he could manage to say was “O!… O!…OHH!”  It seemed as if Albert is trying to say something, something that might make his body become unstuck, but what could it be?  Some passerby’s tried to guess what he’s asking for, thinking it might help.

“A phone?” a lifeguard asks.

“A gnome?” a police officer tries.

“A poem?” a helpful librarian inquires.

Young Emily thinks she knows what Albert is trying to say.  Albert once described a magic word that everything on the planet understood- people, animals, trees… even the rocks.  Could the thing that will help him relax be as simple as the word “Om”?

Find it in the catalog.  

The Power of the Dark Crystal

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The Power of the Dark Crystal
Format: eBook, Book
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

If you’re a fan of the classic Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal and/or the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance you will be pleased to know the story of The Dark Crystal does not end (or begin*) there.

The Power of the Dark Crystal graphic novels are a sequel to the film. Jen and Kira have ruled the mystical world of Thra for a great many trine [off and on] but their hard-earned peace lies in jeopardy when the fireling Thurma, arrives from a subterranean world and threatens to crack the Crystal of Truth and release the evil Skeksis upon the land once more. Thurma has only one ally, the gelfling Kensho, who trusts that together they can save both their worlds from destruction. Much like the original film, this series is a story about love, overcoming obstacles, and the importance of environmental stewardship.

If you enjoy The Power of the Dark Crystal, Kensho and Thurma’s saga continues in the graphic novel series Beneath the Dark Crystal.

And if you really can’t get enough of The Dark Crystal you might try J.M. Lee’s YA series of novels about Thra, starting with Shadows of the Dark Crystal, which features several characters from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and seems to take place concurrent with the TV show.

*There is also The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths shedding light on how the world of Thra began. Witness the birth of Aughra, and her son Raunip, the arrival of the urSkeks, as well as the Great Division, among other “historical” events.

See everything The Dark Crystal in our catalog.