It’s April! Spring into the new season with one of our Staff Picks!
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Reenie – Youth Services
A Rover’s Story, by Jasmine Warga, New Juvenile Fiction J Warga
This science fiction story brings you, the reader, along as the newest robot going to Mars is “born” through mechanical assembly for his incredible journey exploring and navigating the perilous terrain of Mars. Told through the decidedly human voice of the robot, named Resilience (or “Res” for short), and through letters from the chief engineer’s daughter, Sophie, the reader is made to feel as though they are reading the personal diaries of the events of the story. You will really root for Res as he struggles to understand why he has developed human feelings when other robots have not. He wonders if these human-like thoughts will help or hurt him in achieving his mission so that he can be allowed back to Earth. Will he be successful in bringing back online one of the robots like him who is now stuck on Mars? Will he be able to find something valuable to the scientists so that they will bring him back to Earth instead of leaving him on Mars as well? And how do his newly formed feelings of happiness, friendship, and perseverance enter into his mission? Although this is a work of fiction, the author has researched previous Mars robot missions to make this adventure both exciting and believable. An original and enjoyable read! This will definitely be a good follow-up if you liked the book series The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.
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Marissa – Circulation
The Evil Queen put a spell on the fairytale world, bringing the characters to present-day Storybrooke, Maine. The main catch is that none of them remember their previous life except for the Evil Queen. However, Emma Swan, the long, lost child of Snow White and Prince Charming, can save them if she only knew who she was and what happened. I absolutely loved this show! I’m a huge fan of fairytales, and I found the way in which this show wove many of the classic fairytales together to be incredibly clever and a unique spin on the well-known stories.
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This anime movie takes place in a world that includes witches and wizards and is currently at war. The movie follows Sophie, a young girl who was turned into a 90-year-old lady by a witch, and her run-in with the wizard, Howl, as she tries to figure out how to break the curse placed on her. In the process, she helps many others along the way.
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Komi Can’t Communicate, by Tomohito Oda, Graphic Novel Oda (Graphic)
Komi Can’t Communicate is a book about a high-school girl named Komi who has severe social anxiety, which prevents her from communicating with people even though she really wants to. In fact, she has a dream of making 100 friends. When Tadano becomes her first friend, he decides to try and help her make 99 more. Will they succeed? This book is super cute, and I love that it shows scenes from multiple people’s perspectives, often demonstrating that people are misunderstanding each other.
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Witch Hat Atelier, by Kamome Shirahama, Graphic Novel Shirahama (Graphic)
Coco has always dreamed of having magic. However, in order to use magic, you have to be born a witch, and she was not. This didn’t stop her from dreaming and being incredibly curious about magic. When she accidentally uses a forbidden spell that turns her mother into stone, Coco is immersed in the world of magic as she tries to find a way to undo the spell. I really enjoy the multitude of characters in this series; each one has their own quirk and many are quite unique. The story also has a bit of a mystery revolving around how Coco acquired a book of forbidden spells in the first place. SPOILER ALERT!!! The story ends on a cliffhanger so be prepared to get hooked on reading the rest of the series.
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Hubbell – Circulation
My First Arabic Phrases, by Jill Kalz, Juvenile Nonfiction J 492.7 KAL
This is a great introductory phrasebook for young learners. In addition to phrase, it also includes a quick phonetic description of the alphabet with English “sound-alikes.” It begins with basic phrases and words and advances to more involved vocabulary, but not too much to be overwhelming. It’s a great first resource for juvenile learners.
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Melissa – Technical Services
Vengeance, starring B.J. Novak, Issa Rae, and Ashton Kutcher, DVD Vengeance
B.J. Novak stars as Ben in his dark comedy about a NYC journalist who travels to rural Texas to attend the funeral of his “girlfriend” Abilene at the request of her bereaved family. Abilene was in fact merely a hookup that Ben cannot even remember. He joins her brother on a hunt to avenge those responsible for her death, all the while documenting the absurdity of this quest. Like B.J. Novak’s other work, it’s wry and witty, but also has you looking at things differently.
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Paula – Circulation
Nine Liars, by Maureen Johnson, New Young Adult Fiction YA Johnson #5
Maureen Johnson has done it again with another great mystery. This time the action takes place over seas. In the fifth Truly Devious book, Stevie is in her senior year of high school, dreading having to plan for the college application process. The perfect distraction arises when her boyfriend David invites her and her friends to London, where he has been studying. Once they arrive, David’s new friend Izzy comes to Stevie with a new crime to solve. Back in the 90s, nine friends from Cambridge University spent the week after graduation at a family house in the country. They played a game of drunken hide-and-seek at night during a terrible storm. It was all fun and games until two of the friends were found murdered the next morning in the woodshed with an ax. The double-murder was never solved, but Izzy’s aunt, who one was of the friends there that night, claims she saw something she never told the police about. Who else was lying that night about what happened? The remaining seven friends all turn into suspects as Stevie takes a deep-dive into this British murder mystery. I know I say this every time, but these books just keep getting better and better. Maureen Johnson definitely nailed the typical “English murder” vibe. The characters continue to be amazing as always, and Nate continues to deliver his hilarious one-liners. If you haven’t started the series, I highly suggest you do!
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Nancy – Reference
The King’s Man, starring Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, and Rhys Ifans, DVD King’s Man
I started with this prequel to the Kingsman movies and was instantly hooked. Ralph Fiennes is amazing. All three movies are action-packed and lots of fun, but this one added more emotion to the mix.
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Kingsman: The Golden Circle, starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong, DVD Kingsman
What a treat to see Taron Egerton (Elton John in Rocketman) playing alongside Elton John in the second film in the Kingsman franchise. The casting is spot-on and includes outstanding performances by Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Julianne Moore.
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Nope, starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, New DVD Nope
This movie was so riveting that I didn’t even get up for my mid-movie snack. Great acting by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer.
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Tentacles at My Throat, by Zerocalcare, New Adult Graphic Novel 921 Zerocalcare (Graphic)
Follow the angst of Zerocalcare and friends as they maneuver through grade school, the awkward teen years, and into adulthood.