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!
