The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

Eleven years ago, six kindergartners disappeared on the first day of school.
No one knows what happened to them.  The only clues were a man carrying wrapping paper and a comment one of the kids made that she was "going to the leaving".

Now, five of the kids have come back. 
They still don't know what happened as none of the kids have memories of their time away.  They were simply dropped off at a playground with maps to their homes.

Who took them?  Where have them been?  And where is the sixth kid?



This book's unusual incorporation of spacial blocking, imagery, and highlighted text add to the heightened sense of strangeness and mystery.  It's told from the point of view of two of the victims as well as the sister of the kids who never returned.  It's a great mystery for teens to read.

Summer Reading List for Teens

This week, I'm sharing some of my recommended teen books to read this summer . . .

The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares
On alternating weeks, Sasha and Ray vacation in the beach house their parents refused to give up after their divorce, but they never meet until one summer when their lives and those of their siblings intersect in ways none of them could have imagined.

Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer
When a number of Mara Carlyle's fellow high school students spontaneously combust, the FBI and a swarm of journalists descend upon her suburban New Jersey town in the search for answers.

The Button War by Avi
When World War I descends upon a tiny Polish village, seven boys launch their own deadly battle for the right to be crowned king of the land.

Away We Go by Emil Ostovski
Youths infected with the fatal Peter Pan Virus are sent to Westing Academy where Noah Falls pins his affections on a boy who does not reciprocate, and soon tarnishes his other relationships and increases his feelings of self-loathing.

Ship It by Britta Lundin
Told from two viewpoints, Forest, a television actor who needs more fans, and Claire, a teen fan fiction blogger, are teamed to raise his profile despite their disagreement over whether his character is gay.


More Books --
Bound by Blood and Sand by Becky Allen
Brightwood by Tania Unsworth
Bull by David Elliott
Down and Across: A Novel by Arvin Ahmadi
Hotel for the Lost by Suzanne Young
If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say by Leila Sales
Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan
Mapping the Bones by Jane Yolen
The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude
The Names They Give Us by Emery Lord
Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton
Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
Rocks Fall Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar
A Season of Greatly Daring by Ellen Emerson White
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone
Velocity by Chris Wooding
What Goes Up by Katie Kennedy
White Road of the Moon by Rachel Neumeier
Who Killed Christopher Goodman? by Allan Wolf

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 10, 2018.

Time for a Summer Vacation

This week, I'm sharing chapter books about going on vacation . . .

The Vacation by Polly Horvath

When his parents go to Africa to work as missionaries, twelve-year-old Henry's eccentric aunts, Pigg and Mag, take him on a cross-country car trip, allowing him to gain insight into his family and himself.

The Merman by Dick King-Smith

While on vacation in Scotland on her tenth birthday, Zeta meets a wise, kindly old merman who teaches her not only to swim, but also many, many more fascinating things.

This Would Make a Good Story Someday by Dana Alison Levy

Although not thrilled when her summer plans are upended for a surprise cross-country train trip with her family and embarrassed because one of her moms is writing a tell-all book about the trip, twelve-year-old Sara Johnston-Fischer finds herself changing along with the landscape outside the train windows.

Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea by Lynne Rae Perkins

When her parents take the family to the beach for a vacation, Alix is nervous about leaving home.

More Books --

Abigail Iris: The One and Only by Lisa Glatt

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

Calvin Coconut: Man Trip by Graham Salisbury

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Summer Vacation by Tommy Greenwald

Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret

Lexie by Audrey Couloumbis

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman

Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond

Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard's Point by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds

The Savage Fortress by Sarwat Chadda

Summer with Elisa by Joanna Hurwitz

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 3, 2018.

Release by Patrick Ness

Adam Thorn is having a bad day . . . .

He has to hide his relationship with his boyfriend from his religious family.
He's dealing with sexual harassment at work.
His best friend is moving away in a few weeks.
He's trying to figure out his love life and his feelings for his former boyfriend.

And then the spirit of a murdered girl emerges from the local lake looking for retribution.

It all just might lead to the end of the world.



This book tells two different stories.  The main story is about Adam and how he will get through his day.  The second story is about the ghost and the supernatural spirit it ensnares in its pursuit of answers.  While it takes a while to merge the stories together, it does come to a satisfying and marged conclusion.  This would be a great book for teens looking for LGBT+ stories.

Sun, Sand, Surf & Stories

For most people, summer brings images of the beach -- sun, sand, and surf.  This week, I'm sharing stories about the beach and ocean.  Here's a few of my favorites . . .

Six Sandy Sheep by Judith Ross Enderle
Six sheep can't seem to stay out of trouble when they go to the beach.

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
A tiny fish wearing a blue hat hopes not to wake up the trouble that might be following close behind.

Sea Monkey & Bob by Aaron Reynolds
A sea monkey who is afraid of sinking and a pufferfish afraid of floating to the surface conquer their fears by sticking together.

Turtle Island by Kevin Sherry
A giant turtle's loneliness ends when a boatload of animals is shipwrecked and makes a temporary home on his shell. But when they decide to sail for home, will the turtle be alone once more?

Surfer Chick by Kristy Dempsey
The story of a little chick and her dad who take to the beach where he teaches her how to surf.


More Books --
Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear by Hans DeBeer
At the Boardwalk by Kelly Ramsdell Fineman
Beach by Elisha Cooper
Beach Feet by Kiyoi Konagaya
A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams
The Blobfish Book by Jessica Olien
Blue Boat by Kersten Hamilton
Chu's Day at the Beach by Neil Gaiman
Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino
The Friend by Sarah Stewart
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
How to Spy on a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman
Little Tug by Stephen Savage
Nugget & Fang by Tammi Sauer
Ocean Counting by Janet Lawlor
One Lonely Seahorse by Saxton Freymann
Pigs Ahoy! by David McPhail
Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
Rescue Squad No. 9 by Mike Austin
Scuba Bunnies by Christine Loomis
Sea Rex by Molly Idle
Three By Sea by Mini Grey
To the Beach! by Linda Ashman
Turtle Tug to the Rescue by Michael Slack
The Uncorker of Bottles by Michelle Cuevas
The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kurt Cyrus
Wave by Suzy Lee
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck

Check these and more books out on display at the Arnold Branch through July 27, 2018.

Good Vs. Evil: Who Will Win?

This week, I'm sharing teen books featuring battles between good and evil.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill
After her family is killed, Spirit White is taken to Oakhurst Academy, a combination orphanage and school for those with magical powers, where she and her new friends investigate when students start mysteriously disappearing.

Dark Lord, the Early Years by Jamie Thomson
Evil Dark Lord tries to recover his dignity, his power, and his lands when an arch-foe transports him to a small town, into the body of a thirteen-year-old boy.

Od Magic by Patricia McKillip
Brenden Vetch's gift for connecting with the agricultural world helps him land a job as the gardener for the wizard Od at her school in the city of Kelior, where Od uncovers Brenden's true powers and helps him save the school from evil rulers.

Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
High school senior and yearbook photographer Maggie thought she would rather die than go to prom, but when a classmate summons a revenge-seeking demon, she has no choice but to buy herself a dress and prepare to face jocks, cheerleaders, and Evil Incarnate.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard.


More Books --
Abarat by Clive Barker
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Tucholke
Defy by Sara B. Larson
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike
Frogkisser! by Garth Nix
Geek: A Fantasy Novel by E. Archer
The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman
Half Bad by Sally Green
Itch by Simon Mayo
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough
The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin
Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles
Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz
Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
Towering by Alex Flinn
The Vindico by Wesley King
Wax by Gina Damico
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through July 20, 2018.