By Christine Minx, Upper Arlington Public Libraries
Youth Books
B is for Bananas
by Carrie Tillotson
A is for Awake. but B is for Bedtime. When the narrator of this alphabet book tries to make it a bedtime book, Banana objects. Bedtime is BORING! And Banana is the star of this book, so it should really be called B Is for Bananas instead. Journey through all the letters of the alphabet in this laugh-out-loud story.
How Dinosaurs Went Extinct
by Ame Dyckman
When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad comes up with a list of silly answers. A hilarious “safety guide” for ages 3-5.
School Trip
by Jerry Craft
Jordan, Drew, Liam, Maury and their friends from Riverdale Academy Day School are heading off on a school trip to Paris. As an aspiring artist himself, Jordan can’t wait to see all the amazing art in the famous City of Lights. But when their trusted faculty guides are replaced at the last minute, the school trip takes an unexpected – and hilarious – turn. Trying to find their way around a foreign city ends up being almost as tricky as navigating the same friendships, fears, and differences that they struggle with at home.
The Great Mathemachicken 2: Have a Slice Day
by Nancy Krulik
In this first chapter book, a chick and duckling learn about fractions, tally marks and pizza while sharing what they have learned back at the coop. Includes recipe for pizza muffin treats.
Adult Books
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
by David Grann
David Grann has written another nonfiction that reads like a fiction thriller. The Wager is well-researched and well-told. Grann’s vivid writing transports the reader back to the 1700s and the extreme working conditions sailors endured. This book has it all: life at sea, a shipwreck, mutiny, survival and murder. Grann attempts to get to the truth after researching the various versions of the survivors.
Someone Else’s Shoes
by Jojo Moyes
Well-written with three-dimensional characters, abundant detail and lots of humor, Someone Else’s Shoes tells the story of two women who accidentally switch shoes at a gym in London. Confusion and connections ensue. The story recognizes the importance of friendships that sustain us through hard times.
Purple Lotus
by Veena Rao
Through the eyes of an immigrant woman raised in both Asia and the United States, author Veena Rao brings a fresh perspective on feminist issues. Raised with South Asian societal norms regarding love, family and marriage, Tara endures many levels of abuse from childhood to her marriage. Living as a married woman in Atlanta, Tara begins a long journey to break tradition, and seek love and happiness as an independent woman.
My Last Innocent Year
by Daisy Alpert Florin
This author’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story set during narrator Isabel Rosen’s last semester of college. It’s January 1998 and the previous semester ended with a hook-up gone wrong. By graduation, budding writer Isabel is enmeshed in an affair with her professor and struggling to decide which direction her life will take. Told with the right balance of history, current events, and peeks into the future, the story is well-written and even the minor characters are memorable.
Bookmarks submitted by the Upper Arlington Public Library.
