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Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy

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In the small frontier town of Woodsburgh, during the Klondike Goldrush, an enthralling stranger appears. She wants to purchase the demolished mineshaft on the outskirts of town. Meanwhile, when the streets are cloaked in darkness, something abhorrent and violent is targeting the unwary townspeople, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. There are monsters in this town, human and otherwise, and the strange new visitor might know something about it.

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy is Victorian gothic meets sci-fi horror with equal parts gore, romance, and tragedy. The plot could be considered obscure and so the reader is left to interpret what exactly is going on all one their own. I didn’t mind being repeatedly confused because the art is gorgeous! How often can you call a parasitic entity beautiful? If you like carriage rides, tragic love stories and interdimensional realms, I suggest you find Mercy in the Library’s catalog or for instant download on Hoopla.

Words to Make a Friend

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Words to Make a Friend
By Donna Jo Napoli and Illustrated by Naoko Stoop
Format: Picture Book
Who’s it for: Kids

Words to Make a Friend is a story in Japanese and English.

On a snowy day one little girl who just moved in watches another girl playing in the snow. She finds her snow gear and gets dressed up warm to go outside too.

“Hello,” says her new friend. “Konnichiwa,” she says and they both smile. “Lets play!” “Asobou!” From that point on, the girls take turns saying words and practicing each other’s words. They encounter a woodpecker, Peck peck. Kotso kotso. A roly-poly or botteri. Otherwise known as a snowman, and lots more. They spend the afternoon making snow creations and naming them, each in their own language. It’s fun! Soon they go in for some treats and crafting.
These two don’t find the language barrier a problem. They are new friends!

Find Words to Make a Friend in the catalog!

 

 

The Last Cuentista

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The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids, Tweens, Teens

Halley’s Comet is on a collision course with Earth. Petra Peña, an aspiring storyteller, does not want to leave her abuelita behind, but she and her family are among the select few who have been chosen to take to the stars.  Petra, her parents, and her little brother will spend the next 380 years in stasis learning everything they need to know to survive on their new planet. They will be humanity’s last hope. When Petra is awakened from stasis, however, she finds that her ship has been taken over by the Collective. They have reprogrammed everyone and erased all memories of Earth.  Petra is the only one who still remembers her home world, her family, and all of their cuentos.  She must use her stories of the past in an attempt to secure mankind’s future.

The Last Cuentista was just selected as the winner of the John Newbery Medal as well as the Pura Belpré Award. It was one of TIME’s Best Books of the Year and the Wall Street Journal’s Best of the Year, among others. I understand why. This book was full of storytelling magic. Despite some unexpected dark twists and turns that were a bit shocking, this was a beautifully told story. It combines science fiction, Mexican folklore, and a dystopian future. It is definitely one to add to your reading list!

Find The Last Cuentista in our catalog

The Snowy Day

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The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Format: Picture Book
Whose it’s for: Children

Winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal and The Library of Congress’s Books that Shaped America award.

A young boy named Peter awakens to find that while he was sleeping, snow has piled up outside his window. Peter puts on his red snowsuit and heads outside for a winter adventure. Peter makes snow angels, snow balls, and marvelous tracks in the snow. All the things a child would do when their city is blanketed in snow. Young children will relate to Peter and his wintery adventures, where snowbanks seem like like mountains waiting to be climbed, and snow so deep it’s hard for little legs to walk through.  Like Peter’s desire to play with older children, young listeners are reminded that sometimes you are just too small and you’ll have to wait until you get bigger.

While reading The Snowy Day to a child, it’s hard not to reminisce about your own fun childhood memories of playing in the snow. Peter’s adventures are familiar, realistic and oh so charming! Children and adults will appreciate Ezra Jack Keats simple story and beautiful illustrations. Share this story with a child, talk about your own snowy memories and ask them about theirs. Then, on the next snowy day, head outside and have an adventure, just like our beloved protagonist Peter.

In 2020, The New York Public Library announced that The Snowy Day was the most checked out book in the 125 year history of the Library!

In 2017 the U.S. Postal Service issued a collection of Forever stamps featuring four images from The Snowy Day.

 

Find The Snowy Day in the catalog.

Something is Killing the Children

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Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV
Format: Graphic Novel and eBook on Hoopla
Who’s it for?: Adults & Young Adults

Do you remember when you were a kid and that monster was hiding in your closet? Remember how your mind would run wild with thoughts of the most forbidding and insidious creature imaginable? Maybe it had sharp claws, long fangs, and garish yellow eyes. Now, imagine if this creature were real?

The children of Archer’s Peak, WI are being preyed upon by something brought to life by their most terrifying fears. The worst part? This is an evil only the children can see. The people of this small town can’t be expected to defeat an enemy they can’t even see. But the mysterious Erica Slaughter can see them and she kills monsters. Is there hope?

I recommend this enthralling and gruesome horror story to anyone who loves a good monster tale and doesn’t mind the carnage that comes with it. You can find Something is Killing the Children in the Library’s catalog or for instant download on Hoopla Digital.

Dragonfly

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Title: Dragonfly by Leila Meacham
Format: Book, Book on CD, Large Print
Who’s It For: Adults

During the Nazi occupation of Paris, five Americans went undercover to ferret out German top secrets. In short, they were spies. Samuel Barton was a civil engineer who would gather intel on German blueprints. Christoph Brandt was a track-and-field coach.  He would teach sports in a private school to children of top German officials.  Brad Hudson would use his fly-fishing skills to befriend Nazis. Victoria Grayson’s fencing skills would open avenues with German elite.  And Bridgette Loring, fashion designer, would secrete knowledge through fashionable wives and girlfriends.  

Together, their team was known as “Dragonfly.”  Although they were all trained stateside by the Office of Secret Services, their true identities were  concealed from each other.  They each had a code name and an assumed name while in France: Samuel/Lodestar/Stephane, Christoph/Lapwing/Claus, Brad/Limpet/Barnard, Victoria/Limpet/Veronique, and Bridgette/Labrador/Bernadette.  Bridgette resided at a convent.  On the wall of the convent, she painted a mural through which she could relay secret messages to the others through changes to the art.  And team members weekly submitted intel to Bridgette through a mail drop.  Bridgette in turn transmitted messages back to their OSS case officer, Alistair Renault, via a hidden radio at the convent.

What could go wrong?  What could happen if team members bumped into each other in their assumed life?  If an American turned Nazi ran into his best friend in Paris, would he turn in his countryman?  What if a Nazi fell in love with one of the women?  Would any of the five survive this dangerous mission?

My son first read this story and recommended it to me.  And I loved it!  The narration switches from one team member to another and then to Alistair, their case officer, who is very concerned for these young people.  The timeline alternates from the past to 20 years later.  All of these elements contribute to the tension and drama of the story.  It was a page-turner!

If you enjoy being immersed in another place and time in history, I recommend this book to you.

Find Dragonfly in the catalog.