Fast Five Fiction: New Playaways

 It's FRIDAY! Which means it's time for Fast Five Fiction. Each week I share 5 fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. We added a ton of new Playaways to our shelves this week so I wanted to highlight five of my favorites. Click the title to be directed to the books in the library's catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

In case you don't know what a Playaway is, it is the simplest way to listen to an audiobook on the go. With the audio already contained within, and a battery to make it play, there’s nothing left to do but plug in Headphones* and enjoy.

As the first self-playing audiobook, Playaway brings pages to life at the push of a button. Audio content and simple digital technology are now merged into an easy-to-use, self-contained player. And weighing only two ounces, Playaway is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and goes anywhere you do!

*Headphones are not included

It was HARD to narrow it down to only five, but here we go. 

Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger

We previously had volumes 1-3 in Playaway format but were able to add numbers 4-8 recently. This series is constantly checked out. Beware, once you start it.....you can't stop until you've read them all!

A telepathic girl is the key to an unknown world and it’s up to her to save it!

Sophie Foster has never quite fit into her life. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks…

It turns out the reason Sophie has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. And as she sets out for a new life that is vastly different from what she has ever known, telepathy is just the first of many shocking secrets that will be revealed.

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

This 2014 Newberry award winner is excellent in the audio format. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter

April didn’t mean to start the fire. She wasn’t even the one who broke the vase. 

She had absolutely no intention of becoming the only person who knows that Gabriel Winterborne, the missing-and-presumed-dead billionaire, is neither missing nor dead and is actually living in the basement of Winterborne House, sharpening his swords and looking for vengeance. 

Now that April knows Gabriel Winterborne is alive, it’s up to her to keep him that way. But there’s only so much a twelve-year-old girl can do, so April must turn to the other orphans for help. Together, they’ll have to unravel the riddle of a missing heir and a creepy legend, and find a secret key, before the only home they’ve ever known is lost to them forever.

Front Desk series by Kelly Yang

From book 1 Front Desk:

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

We've also got some titles for younger listeners too.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and more stories by Mo Willems

Curious George and Other Stories by H.A. Rey

When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place—a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate. In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler's temper tantrum.

The first story tells how the little monkey Curious George, was caught in the jungle and brought back to the city by a man in a yellow hat. He can't help being interested in all the new things around him. Though well meaning, George's curiosity always gets him into trouble. It also includes four other Curious George Stories

We've also got Playaways for teens and adults available. Some of our teen titles include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Cinder, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Some of our adult titles are The Chain, Never Have I Ever, Daisy Jones & the Six, The Dutch House, The Flatshare, and Sudden Prey.

Happy Friday, and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: Dino Chapter books

It's Friday, and dinosaurs have invaded the library!  All month long we'll be celebrating Dinovember in the children's department. From story time, displays, programs and some fun pictures on social media, we'll be having a ton of Dino Fun this month! A couple of weeks ago I shared some of my favorite dinosaur picture books. This week I've got five Dino-centric chapter books. Click on the title to be directed to our catalog to place a hold. 

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie's very first fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House!

Where did the tree house come from?

Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark . . . or will they become a dinosaur's dinner?

Dinomighty! by Doug Paleo

The first in a new graphic novel series, perfect for fans of Dog Man, Hilo and The Bad Guys.  

On their own, they are four mild-mannered dinos, but together they are . . . DINOMIGHTY!

Everything is pleasant and good in Dinotown . . . until Teri-Dactyl discovers a cryptic email that says the precious Golden Egglettes are in danger! Dinomighties unite! But can they spring into action fast enough to save these valuable jewels from evil baddies?

Dino Riders series by Will Dare

Welcome to the Lost Plains!

A Wild West frontier where dinosaurs never went extinct.

Josh Sanders wants to be the next big dinosaur cowboy - roping raptors and ridin' bucking brontosauruses just like his hero, Terrodactyl Bill!

Too bad he's stuck working on his family's iguanodon ranch, riding his ancient dino, Plodder. The closest Josh has ever been to a T. rex is reading about them in his Dino Rider Handbook.

To prove he has what it takes, Josh is determined to win the annual settlement race. But he's gonna need one fast dino to stand a change. With the help of his friends Sam and Abi, Josh will need to tame a wild triceratops!

Knights Vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan

This heavily illustrated middle grade novel from award-winning author and artist Matt Phelan is a hilarious, rip-roaring tale of derring-do perfect for reluctant readers and fans of How to Train Your Dragon and The Terrible Two. 

Let me tell you a secret about the Knights of the Round Table: they don’t have much to do. The realm is at peace and dragons are few and far between. So Merlin decides to send the knights out on a real adventure to a world filled with the most terrible lizards of all: DINOSAURS!

Cavemice series by Geronimo Stilton

Who is Geronimo Stiltonoot?
He is a cavemouse -- Geronimo Stilton's ancient ancestor. He runs the stone newspaper in the prehistoric village of Old Mouse City. From dealing with dinosaurs to dodging meteorites, his life in the Stone Age is full of adventure and dinosaurs!

THE STONE OF FIRE
Old Mouse City is in an uproar. The most precious artifact in the mouseum -- the Stone of Fire -- has been stolen! Geronimo Stiltonoot and his cavemouse friend Hercule Poirat are on the case. It's up to them to retrieve the stone from the ferocious Tiger Khan and his band of fearsome felines!

Happy Friday and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: New Releases

It's FRIDAY! Which means it's time for Fast Five Fiction. Each week I'll be sharing 5 fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. This week I'm featuring 5 of my most anticipated books new to our shelves. Click the title to be directed to the books in the library's catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End by Jeff Kinney

In The Deep End, book 15 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Greg Heffley and his family hit the road for a cross-country camping trip, ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

But things take an unexpected turn, and they find themselves stranded at an RV park that’s not exactly a summertime paradise. When the skies open up and the water starts to rise, the Heffley's wonder if they can save their vacation—or if they’re already in too deep.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs

The world’s youngest and smartest genius is forced to use her unbelievable code-breaking skills to outsmart Einstein.

Charlie Thorne is a genius.
Charlie Thorne is a thief.
Charlie Thorne isn’t old enough to drive.

And now it’s up to her to save the world…

Decades ago, Albert Einstein devised an equation that could benefit all life on earth—or destroy it. Fearing what would happen if the equation fell into the wrong hands, he hid it.

But now, a diabolical group known as the Furies are closing in on its location. In desperation, a team of CIA agents drags Charlie into the hunt, needing her brilliance to find it first—even though this means placing her life in grave danger.

In an adventure that spans the globe, Charlie must crack a complex code created by Einstein himself, struggle to survive in a world where no one can be trusted, and fight to keep the last equation safe once and for all.

The sequel, Charlie Thorne and the Lost City comes out March 2, 2021. 

Hello Future Me by Kim Ventrella

Eleven-year-old June is a problem-solver. Some people might call her a busybody, but that's okay. Just look at all the couples she helped find love! (Grateful newlyweds Marlene and Big Vic have even promised June free hot chocolate for life at their café.)

However, when June learns that her parents are getting divorced, she has to face the fact that there are some problems too big even for her. At least, that's what the adults in her life keep saying.

But June's convinced there's a way to make her parents fall back in love. While brainstorming ideas on her new secondhand laptop -- purchased from a mysterious store in town called The Shop of Last Resort -- June gets a strange IM from someone named JuniePie28 . . . someone who claims to be an older version of June messaging her from the future.

At first, she assumes it's a prank. But JuniePie28 knows too much about June's life to be a fraud, and future June warns her against interfering with her parents' marriage. But June can't just sit around and watch her parents' marriage dissolve, not when there's a magical shop in town that could be the answer to all her problems! Will June prove her older self wrong and stop the divorce? Or will she have to accept that there are some things she can't control?

Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster

On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it.

Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year's Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power.

The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin...the symbol of a curse that has shortened his lifeline, giving him only a week before an untimely death. There is only one way to break the curse, and it requires a trip to the notorious Night Witch.

With only his village's terrifying, ancient stories as a guide, and his two friends Engle and Melda by his side, Tor must travel across unpredictable Emblem Island, filled with wicked creatures he only knows through myths, in a race against his dwindling lifeline.

All He Knew by Heen Frost

Henry has been deaf from an early age—he is intelligent and aware of language, but by age six, he has decided it's not safe to speak to strangers. When the time comes for him to start school, he is labeled ""unteachable."" Because his family has very little money, his parents and older sister, Molly, feel powerless to help him. Henry is sent to Riverview, a bleak institution where he is misunderstood, underestimated, and harshly treated.

Victor, a conscientious objector to World War II, is part of a Civilian Public Service program offered as an alternative to the draft. In 1942, he arrives at Riverview to serve as an attendant and quickly sees that Henry is far from unteachable—he is brave, clever, and sometimes mischievous. In Victor's care, Henry begins to see how things can change for the better.

Heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful, Helen Frost's All He Knew is inspired by true events and provides sharp insight into a little-known element of history."

Happy Friday, and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: Dinovember

It's Friday, and dinosaurs have invaded the library!  All month long we'll be celebrating Dinovember in the children's department. From story time, displays, programs and some fun pictures on social media, we'll be having a ton of Dino Fun this month! For this week's Fast Five Fiction, I've got five of my favorite dinosaur picture books, including one by the Refe & Susan Tuma, the parents who started Dinovember. 

What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe & Susan Tuma

Since Toy Story (and maybe since the very first toys!) children and their parents have wondered what it would be like if toys came to life. Refe and Susan Tuma take this wonder several steps further in What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night.

Every November, writer and social media master Refe Tuma and his wife, Susan, work into the night to bring their four children scenes from the secret lives of their toys—specifically the nighttime antics of their plastic dinosaurs. The dinosaurs wreck bathrooms, destroy vases, rock out, encounter terrifying hot irons, even do the dishes with hilarious, magical results. Each scene is photographed in meticulous detail, letting viewers joyfully suspend disbelief and think to themselves—just LOOK what the dinosaurs did last night?

The How do Dinosaurs? series by Jane Yolen

A long time favorite of both kids and parents, Jane Yolen's How do Dinosaurs? series share messages about behavior and manners in a fun and reassuring way. Full of beautiful illustrations and subtle humor, the full of personality dinosaurs will connect with the young readers in your life. 

Some Dinosaurs are Small by Charlotte Voake

Some dinosaurs are small and slow. They take their time in the prehistoric jungle, collecting fruits and leaves and using their tiny teeth to munch them. Some dinosaurs are big and fast. With huge teeth and claws, they steal food from small dinosaurs, and they’re always hungry for more. So when three big dinosaurs come across one small one, what — or who — can save the little plant-eater? Beautifully drawn and brightly colored, Charlotte Voake’s imaginative introduction to the concept of size brims with visual humor and culminates in a sweet surprise ending.

I'm Big! by Kate McMullen

A hilarious new picture book about one BIG dino who’s just trying to find his herd again. He’s BIG, a whole lotta lizard-thunder comin’ at you! But he’s also…lost. Have you seen his herd? BOOM, BOOM! Uh, oh! Help this sorry sauropod find his pals before he becomes lunch for some hungry predator. Yikes!

Library Books are Not for Eating! by Todd Tarpley

It's time for school, but Ms. Bronte has one small problem...she really loves eating books. (Did I mention she's also a dinosaur?) Math books, cookbooks, old books, new books--she just can't help herself. Will Ms. Bronte ever be able to curb her page-turning appetite, or will she continue chomping her way through a tasty book buffet? Open the fun peek-through cover of this lively picture book, and get ready for a story that will leave readers hungry for a second helping!

Happy Friday and happy reading!