Education

August 2017 Books

Toddler

Marigold Bakes a Cake By Mike Malborough 
Join Marigold on his baking Monday as he prepares the perfect cake, but he keeps getting interrupted…by birds! This beautifully illustrated book has fun rhymes and counting throughout as well as vivid baking descriptions. A true delight for reading time.

Youth

At the Bottom of the World: Jack and the Geniuses, Book 1 By Bill Nye and Gregory Mone
Jack and his foster siblings, Ava and Matt, are orphans and geniuses. Ava speaks multiple languages and builds robots for fun, and Matt is into astronomy and a whiz at math. Jack’s genius has yet to be uncovered. While in Antarctica with a renown scientist, they discover a fellow scientist and all her research have gone missing. This series features real-world science along with action and a mystery that will engage and entertain readers.

This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World By Matt Lamothe
Follow the real lives of seven kids from Italy, Japan, Iran, India, Peru, Uganda, and Russia for a single day! In Japan, Kei plays Freeze Tag, while in Uganda, Daphine likes to jump rope. But while the way they play may differ, the shared rhythm of their days—and this one world we all share—unites them. This exchange provides a window into traditions that may be different from our own as well as a mirror reflecting our common experiences.

Tween

Forget Me Not By Ellie Terry
Calliope June has Tourette syndrome (TS), and sometimes she can't control the noises that come out of her mouth or her body language. When she and her mother move to a new neighborhood, she tries to hide her TS, but soon the children in her class notice her differences. As Callie navigates school, she must also deal with her mother's new relationship and the fact that she might be moving again, just as she's starting to make friends and finally accept her differences. 

The World's Greatest Detective By Caroline Carlson
Detectives’ Row is full of talented investigators, but Toby Montrose isn’t one of them. He’s only an assistant at his uncle’s crime-solving business, and he’s not sure he’s even good at that. However, he sees his chance to prove he could be by entering Hugh Abernathy’s crime-solving contest in his uncle’s place. But before the games can begin, a detective is found murdered, and together with his talented sleuthing friend, Ivy, the two work together to crack the case.

Teen

Egg & Spoon By Gregory Maguire 
Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside, and there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying a cornucopia of food, untold wealth, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg—a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena’s age. When the two girls’ lives collide, an escapade begins that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and Baba Yaga, a witch of Russian folklore.

The Seeds of America Trilogy By Laurie Halse Anderson 
It’s 1776 and Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth have only ever known life as slaves. As war breaks out, sides must be chosen, death is at every turn, and one question forever rings in their ears: Would you risk everything to be free? Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth flee, separate, fight, face unparalleled heartbreak and, just like war, they must depend on their allies—and each other—if they are to survive.

All Grown Up

Commonwealth By Ann Patchett
Escape into family drama from a safe distance with the page turner, Commonwealth. The novel follows two families linked together by a fateful kiss at a christening party in the late 60s. Over the next 50 years, the siblings and stepsiblings recount their captivating lives. Follow the Keating and Cousins families as they grow and change through shocking flashbacks and conversations. Patchett writes the mundane as the exotic and captures your imagination immediately. 

Today Will Be Different By Maria Semple 
We all have our days where we want to be the best version of ourselves. Eleanor Flood starts this particular day with those exact goals, but the day unravels quickly, throwing her into a downward spiral of kooky decisions. The hijinks will guarantee laughter, but the heartfelt story will also have you feeling real empathy for the whacky characters in Maria Semple’s comedy.

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