Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

" Dorothy thinks she's lost forever when a tornado whirls her and her dog, Toto, into a magical world. To get home, she must find the wonderful wizard in the Emerald City of Oz. On the way she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. But the Wicked Witch of the West has her own plans for the new arrival... will Dorothy ever see Kansas again?" (Goodreads.com) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum was charming. It was interesting to see how it compared to the film. I'm not sure that I would continue with the series, but I liked the characters and the world that Baum built. It's an interesting read if you'd like to compare early children's literature to present day literature. Meghan McCabe Children & Youth Services Librarian Available at the Langley-Adams Library

American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar Genre: Contemporary Lehka is an American Indian girl who sometimes endures teasing despite trying to fit in with everyone else. When an Indian girl named Avantika moves in across the street, Lehka learns about friendship, embracing her culture, and that it’s okay to stand out! Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo Genre: Fantasy Two girls from rival witch families have to work together to save their town from a zombie infestation! This is a fun read about believing in yourself and your abilities, doing the right thing, and spells gone wrong. Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Ab e Genre: Fantasy Eva Evergreen is a young witch with only a pinch of magic. But to earn the rank of Novice Witch she must live in another city for a year and help the people there with her magic. How can she help a lot of people with only a tiny bit of magic? This is a great story about friendship and believing in yourself! Front Desk by Kelly Yang G...

" In  Find Me , Aciman shows us Elio’s father, Samuel, on a trip from Florence to Rome to visit Elio, who has become a gifted classical pianist. A chance encounter on the train with a beautiful young woman upends Sami’s plans and changes his life forever. Elio soon moves to Paris, where he, too, has a consequential affair, while Oliver, now a New England college professor with a family, suddenly finds himself contemplating a return trip across the Atlantic." (Goodreads.com) Find Me  was a satisfying sequel to "Call Me by Your Name." It was great to meet the characters again and see how their lives panned out. This book again focuses on Elio and Oliver but it also gives a whole story line through the perspective of Elio's father. Aciman does a wonderful job at describing the complexity of relationships, either familial or romantic, and conveying the emotions that the characters go through. They stick with you long after you've devoured this book. Meghan McCab...

" When Siddalee Walker, oldest daughter of Vivi Abbott Walker, Ya-Ya extraordinaire, is interviewed in the New York Times about a hit play she's directed, her mother gets described as a "tap-dancing child abuser." Enraged, Vivi disowns Sidda. Devastated, Sidda begs forgiveness, and postpones her upcoming wedding. All looks bleak until the Ya-Yas step in and convince Vivi to send Sidda a scrapbook of their girlhood mementos, called "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." As Sidda struggles to analyze her mother, she comes face to face with the tangled beauty of imperfect love, and the fact that forgiveness, more than understanding, is often what the heart longs for." (Goodreads.com) This book was like coming home. Even though I'm not of that generation, or southern, it felt cozy. It's a great reminder that, if we want to, we can reconnect with family and there's always more to the story of our childhoo ds.  Ya Ya!   Meghan McCabe Children ...

" Harleen is a tough, outspoken, rebellious kid who lives in a ramshackle apartment above a karaoke cabaret owned by a drag queen named MAMA. Ever since Harleen's parents split, MAMA has been her only family. When the cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that's taking over the neighborhood, Harleen gets mad. When Harleen decides to turn her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join Ivy, who's campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or join The Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time.  Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass  is at once a tale of the classic Harley readers know and love, and a heartfelt story about the choices teenagers make and how they can define—or destroy—their lives." (Goodreads.com) Harley Quinn wasn't a favorite character of mine, but the twist Tamaki puts on this character's story helped me to understand her better. The illustrations were amazing and really helpe...

In the story  I am the messenger  by Markus Zusak, Ed Kennedy is an underage cab driver who doesn’t have a very good future ahead of him. He is in love with his best friend who does not feel the same way, and his other best friend is his dog who drinks coffee and smells terrible. His life is practically a routine that he is very used to by now. That is until one day when it seemed as if Ed was in the right place at the right time. After he accidentally prevented a bank robber from getting away, he receives a playing card with three addresses written on it. He doesn’t know why, but he knows that there is a message he hast to deliver to the people at these locations. The only writing on the card is those places. There are no directions, and no rules that he has to follow. He doesn’t understand why he was chosen to do this, but nonetheless he follows through. After that card the messages keep coming. Some of the messages are harder than others, some of them are painful, some...

" S.T., a domesticated crow, is a bird of simple pleasures: hanging out with his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle's wild crows (those idiots), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®. Then Big Jim's eyeball falls out of his head, and S.T. starts to feel like something isn't quite right. His most tried-and-true remedies--from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim's loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis--fail to cure Big Jim's debilitating malady. S.T. is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and venture out into a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, where he discovers that the neighbors are devouring each other and the local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of dangerous new predators roaming Seattle. Humanity's extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a foul-mouthed crow whose knowledge of the world around him comes from his TV-watching educat...