Mysteries in the Stacks -- True Life Mysteries

This month, JCL is celebrating mysteries as it is the 165th birthday of Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle.  However, mysteries aren't just fiction.  Some of the most intriguing mysteries are from real life.  Check out one of these nonfiction books about real-life mysteries.

Top 10 Unsolved Mysteries by Kathryn Clay

Describes various unsolved mysteries throughout history in a top-ten format.

History's Mysteries by Kitson Jazynka

Curious kids itching for real-life Indiana Jones-like intrigue will get swept away with the next book in this spine-tingling series about solving puzzles of the past--from whole civilizations that have vanished to mystifying monuments and urban legends.

Vanished: True Tales of Mysterious Disappearances by Elizabeth MacLeod

Examines some of the most famous unsolved disappearances in history, including the lost colony of Roanoke, the Mary Celeste, and the Alcatraz prison break.

More Books --

65 More Short Mysteries You Solve with Science! by Eric Yoder

Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science by Bridget Heos

Forensics: Uncover the Science and Technology of Crime Scene Investigation by Carla Mooney

History's Mysteries: Legend and Lore by Anna Claybourne

I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles by Walter Wick

Solve This! Forensics by Kate Messner

Where's Waldo? A Wonder Book by Martin Handford

All the World's a Stage

 Many dream of being up on stage or their names in lights.  This week, we're sharing teen books featuring stories about theater, movies, and television.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

Audrey gave up on romance before meeting aspiring filmmaker Harry at the cinema where they work, but soon they are deeply in love--and not like it is portrayed in movies.

The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson

On her eighteenth birthday, Hilde leaves her orphanage in 1930s Berlin, and heads out into the world to discover her place in it. But finding a job is hard, at least until she stumbles into Café Lila, a vibrant cabaret full of expressive customers.

Waste of Space by Gina Damico

Cram ten hormonal teens into a spaceship and blast off: that's the premise for the ill-conceived reality show Waste of Space. The kids who are cast know everything about drama--and nothing about the fact that the production is fake.

More Books --

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley

Behind the Scenes series by Bisco Hatori

Better Together by Christine Riccio

Echo After Echo by A.R. Capetta

Flip the Script by Lyla Lee

Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

I Loved You in Another Life by David Arnold

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley

Love, Jacaranda by Alex Flinn

Secrets So Deep by Ginny Myers Sain

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson

This Book Is Not Yet Rated by Peter Bognanni

Super(Hero) Books for Kids

Superhero are always a popular topic with kids.  Here are a few of our favorite superhero chapter books ...

Almost Super by Marion Jensen

Two brothers in a family of superheroes are forced to reexamine everything they knew about being super when the powers they receive are total duds and their enemy is revealed to be just like they are.

Zodiac Legacy: Tiger Island by Stuart Moore

When six teenagers gain strange, magical superpowers, the vanguard launches a surprise attack in hopes of stopping the young heroes before they fully understand their abilities.

Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor

In southeastern Nigeria, twelve-year-old Mnamdi is determined to avenge his police chief father, who was murdered while triyng to rid the town of criminals, but Nnamdi feels powerless until he receives a magical object which gives him superpowers.

Cape by Kate Hannigan

Soon after being recruited by the mysterious Mrs. Boudica to join a secret military intelligence operation, Josie, Mae, and Akiko discover their superhero abilities and use them to thwart a Nazi plot to steal the ENIAC computer.

More Superhero Stories --

Battling Boy by Paul Pope

Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith

DC Superhero Girls: Final Crisis by Shea Fontana

Dear DC Supervillains by Michael Northrop

The Flash: Johnny Quick by Barry Lyga

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities by Mike Jung

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation by Matt Myklusch

The Mighty Odds by Amy Ignatow

My Brother Is a Superhero by David Solomons

Public School Superhero by James Patterson

Sidekicked by John David Anderson

Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell by Gary Urey

Wonder Woman at Superhero High by Lisa Yee

It's a Hard Knock Life: Stories of Orphans

It seems a common theme in children's books -- the plucky orphan going on an adventure.  Here are a few of our favorites . . . .

The Onts by Dan Greenburg

Ten-year-old orphan twins Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffin have had it bad at Cincinnati's Jolly Days Orphanage, but things get much worse when the Mandible sisters offer to share their home in the Dripping Fang Forest.

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

When ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchene encounters a fortune teller in the marketplace one day and she tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a remarkable series of adventures as he desperately tries to find her.

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.

Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key

When an evil man claiming to be their uncle removes them from an orphanage, Tony and Tia, siblings with unusual powers, run away and try to find other people like themselves in hopes of learning something of their mysterious past.

More Books --

At the Bottom of the World by Bill Nye

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Clem Hetherington and the Ironwood Race by Jen Breach

Dactyll Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older

Henry & Eva and the Castle on the Cliff by Andrea Portes

Loot by Jude Watson

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

Someplace to Call Home by Sandra Dallas

Wave Riders by Lauren St. John

We Own the Sky by W.R. Philbrick

April is Punny! Jokes, Riddles, and Wordplay Fun for April

Get ready for a month full of fun with these joke and riddle books.

Riddle Me This! Riddles and Stories to Challenge Your Mind by Hugh Lupton

A whimsical collection of riddles and riddling stories from all over the world. The playful illustrations offer clues that will help children to solve the riddles.

Just Joking LOL! by Rosie Gowsell Pattison

This collectible little book is packed with 300 silly kid-friendly jokes paired with photos of laughing animals and funny people.

Knock! Knock! Where is There? by Brian Elling

Collects over three hundred jokes featuring such famous locations as Stonehenge, Easter Island, the Bermuda Triangle, and Mount Rushmore.

More Books --

101 Hilarious Pranks and Practical Jokes by Theresa Julian

1001 Jokes for Kids: Laughs for All Ages

Belly Laugh Funniest, Grossest Jokes for Kids: 350 Hilarious Jokes

The Challenging Riddle Book for Kids by Danielle Hall

Dinosaur Jokes by Pam Rosenberg

The Jokiest Joking Puns Book Ever Written . . . No Joke! by Brian Boone

Silly Joke Books series by Michael Dahl