Crime Scene

This week, I am sharing crime stories for teens.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando
Eleven years after six kindergarteners were taken, five come back--with no idea of where they've been and no memory of the sixth victim, Max, but Avery, Max's sister, is determined to find her brother.

Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn
A year after running away with a traveling carnival to escape his unbearable home life, sixteen-year-old Michael returns to Miami, Florida, to find that his mother is going on trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather.

The Invisible by Mats Wahl
A Swedish teenager is assaulted and killed, but returns as a ghost to find his killer.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Sixteen-year-old Gemma, a British city-dweller, is abducted while on vacation with her parents and taken to the Australian outback, where she soon realizes that escape attempts are futile, and in time she learns that her captor is not as despicable as she first believed.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Followed everywhere by the ghost of her recently deceased best friend, Hannah investigates the serial murders of young girls in her community.


More Teen Crime Stories --
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
Gentlemen by Michael Northrop
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
Jude by Kate Morgenroth
Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
The Lost Causes by Jessica Koosed Etting
The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude
Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn
The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius
Panic by Sharon M. Draper
Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier
Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams
Shine by Lauren Myracle
There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
We Now Return to Our Regular Life by Martin Wilson
Who Killed Christopher Goodman? by Allan Wolf
Wild Blues by Beth Kephart

Check these books out at the Arnold Branch.

Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts by Roald Dahl

Have you ever REALLY thought about the story of Goldilocks?  She's not quite the sweet little girl everyone thinks she is.  She's really a criminal who has no problem ruining other people's lives.

And what about Cinderella?  Is the Prince REALLY such a great guy?



This audio book includes two of Roald Dahl's books -- Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts.  Both are rhymed retellings of popular fairy tales to tell the real story.  I would highly recommend this audio book for all kids who enjoy fractured fairy tales and Roald Dahl's unique sense of humor.

Me & My Mom

This week, I'm sharing chapter books for children featuring moms.  Here are a few of my favorite books . . .

This Would Make a Good Story Someday by Dana Alison Levy
Sara's summer plans are upended by a surprise cross-country train trip with her moms, her sisters, and her sister's boyfriend, an adventure shaped by a group of Texans, the diverse landscape, and her mom's book about the journey.

Bringing the Boy Home by N.A. Nelson
As two Takunami youths approach their thirteenth birthdays, Luka reaches the culmination of his mother's training for the tribe's manhood test while Tirio, raised in Miami, Florida, by his adoptive mother, feels called to begin preparations to prove himself during his upcoming visit to the Amazon rain forest where he was born.

The Glass Cafe by Gary Paulsen
When twelve-year-old Tony, a talented artist, begins sketching the dancers at the Kitty Kat Club where his mother is an exotic dancer, it sparks the attention of social services.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.


More Books --
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
Confessions from the Principal's Kid by Robin Mellom
Digging Up Danger by Jacqueline West
The Door by the Staircase by Katherine Marsh
Fairy Mom and Me by Sophie Kinsella
Graylings Song by Karen Cushman
Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants by Sam Swope
Johnny Swanson by Eleanor Updale
The Kazillion Wish by Nick Place
More Perfect Than the Moon by Patricia MacLachlan
The Mummy's Mother by Tony Johnston
My Life Starring Mum by Chloe Rayban
Road Trip with Max and His Mom by Linda Urban


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through June 7, 2019.

Learning Is For All Ages: Non-Fiction Picture Books

This week, I'm sharing informational picture books.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

A Beetle Is Shy by Dianna Aston
Introduces the world of beetles, describing their life cycle, colors, sizes, and why they are important to the world's ecosystems.

Eight Days Gone by Linda McReynolds
Depicts, in brief verse and illustrations, the 1969 Apollo 11 mission when man first walked on the moon.

Up! Up! Up! Skyscraper by Anastasia Suen
Invites readers to watch workers dig, pour, pound, and bolt a skyscraper into existence.

What Is Science? by Rebecca Dotlich
Introduces young readers to the world of science and all it encompasses.

We March by Shane Evans
Illustrations and brief text portray the events of the 1963 march in Washington, D.C., where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a historic speech.


More Informational Picture Books --
All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson
Apples, Apples Everywhere! Learning About Apple Harvests by Robin Koontz
Big and Small, Room for All by Jo Ellen Bogart
Born and Bred in the Great Depression by Jonah Winter
The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner
Cold, Crunchy, Colorful: Using Our Senses by Jane Brockert
Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar by Bob Barner
Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo That Changed the World by James Gladstone
Fabulous Frogs by Martin Jenkins
Gravity by Jason Chin
Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Numbers by Sarah C. Campbell
Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray
Hey, Hey, Hay! by Christy Mihaly
Hippos Can't Swim and Other Fun Facts by Laura Lyn DiSiena
How Did That Get in My Lunchbox: The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth
How Tall, How Short, How Far Away by David A. Adler
I Don't Like Snakes by Nicola Davies
Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate
Life in the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by David A. Adler
The Marvelous Things That Came from a Spring by Gilbert Ford
Masterpiece Mix by Roxie Munro
One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh
Punctuation Celebration by Elsa Knight Bruno
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
A Second Is a Hiccup: A Child's Book of Time by Hazel Hutchins
Subtraction Action by Loreen Leedy
Things That Float and Things That Don't by David A. Adler
Tugboat by Michael Garland
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins
The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular by Ethan Long
Yak Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park

Check these and more books out on display at the Arnold Branch through May 31, 2019.

Polar Bear in Love by Koromo

It's love at first sight when Polar Bear and Little Seal pup meet . . . at least it is for Polar Bear.  Little Seal is positive he's about to be eaten.

Can they overcome this misunderstanding?

Can their love survive?



This was a fun manga to read.  The story works on multiple levels for kids, teens, and adults.  The misunderstandings between the two characters are funny.  In fact, I found myself laughing out loud several times.

Celebrate Diversity!

Today, I'm sharing picture books that celebrate the diversity of those around us.  Here are of some of my favorites . . . .

The Black Book of Colors by Morena Cottin
This title invites readers to imagine living without sight through remarkable illustrations done with raised lines and descriptions of colors based on imagery. Braille letters accompany the illustrations and a full Braille alphabet offers sighted readers help reading along with their fingers.

Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers
Jeremy sets out to discover all of the different "people" that make him who he is, including brother, son, writer, and runner.

Green Is a Chili Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Thong
Children discover a world of colors all around them. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin, but all are universal in appeal. A short glossary explains the cultural significance of the colored objects featured in this book.

Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman
Moses and his schoolmates, all deaf, attend a concert where the orchestra's percussionist is also deaf. Includes illustrations in sign language and a page showing the manual alphabet.

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
Gerald the giraffe is too clumsy to dance with all the other animals at the Jungle Dance, until he finds the right music.


More Books --
All the Animals Where I Live by Philip Christian Stead
All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka
Around the World in a Bathtub by Wade Bradford
Carmen Learns English by Judy Cox
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
The Day War Came by Nicola Davies
Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O'Leary
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors by Kena Khan
I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes
Ian's Walk by Laurie Lears
Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Last Stop of Market Street by Matt de la Pena
Me Tall, You Small by Lilli L'Arronge
Mirror by Jeannie Baker
Mixed Me by Taye Diggs
My Name Is Yoon by Helen Recorvits
On the First Day of First Grade by Tish Rabe
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam Schiffer
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
This Is Me: A Story of Who We Area & Where We Came From by Jamie Lee Curtis
Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie
Who We Are! All About Being the Same and Being Different by Robie Harris


Check these and more diverse books out on display at the Arnold Branch through May 24, 2019.