Best in biographies
Are you looking for a new biography to read? Then check out the longlist below for the 2021 Plutarch Award--an award for best biography published in English chosen by fellow biographers.
MADreads
Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
An impossible crime?
Tempest Raj has returned to her childhood home after a stunt in her Las Vegas magic show went dangerously (almost fatally) awry. Not only has she lost her successful show, but she's still facing legal issues related to the accident, an accident she knows is not her fault. Now home she has to figure out her next steps and while she's lying low licking her wounds, her dad asks her to take a job with his Secret Staircase Construction company. Her first act to help her dad is to examine a house that's being renovated.
Musa's turn to pick
In Halal Hot Dogs, we follow Musa, a young Muslim boy, through his life from the vantage point of the meals his family eats. This is a fun, rollicking story filled with laughter, dancing, and delicious food. The illustrations are done in bold, bright colors that create a visual feast for the eyes. It also introduces a good deal of Arabic vocabulary.
In through the nose, out through the mouth
This book is described as a smash-up of art and text that captures 2020 and what it was like to be black during the COVID-19 lockdown and racial unrest and protests. It is incredible: painful, powerful, and beautiful. Told in three sections called Breath One, Breath Two and Breath Three, I viewed the book as illustrated poetry with the parts representing the past, present and future.
Novellas for escape
At some point, I had a sticker that said “I love big books and I cannot lie” - it was a point of pride. But these days, with a toddler, a full time job, and a pandemic level attention span, this librarian has a new found appreciation for the novella. Rich characters, well built worlds, and gripping plot lines all in less than 200 pages? Yes please! If that sounds appealing to you too - check out these fantastic and escapist new books in bite size lengths - completely readable in 2-3 nap times or a few nights before bed.
Changing it up
Laila has her sunshine and unicorns-themed birthday party all planned out. Her and her mom have even created a party schedule so that Laila knows just what to expect. But–oh no! The party was supposed to be outside, and now it’s raining!
Este cuento entró por un caminito plateado, y salió por uno dorado / This story entered through a silver path and left on a golden one
It’s not very often a science fiction book wins the Newbery Award and the Pura Belpré Award but The Last Cuentista did this year. The Last Cuentista is a dystopian story with tales of Mexican folklore woven within. ‘Cuentista’ in Spanish means storyteller and the main character, Petra Peña, is truly the only cuentista left in the world.
Wrestling with the past
This historical fiction novel takes place between 1943 and 1974 beginning in Alexandria, Egypt, and ending in a small English village. It is a well written story told in alternating voices by James, a former RAF pilot and prisoner of WWII, and his wife, Yvette.
So much to grieve
The previously unimaginable grief and loss that we face today differs from person to person but collectively weighs on all of us. Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shares her experience losing her father in the summer of 2020 and the layers of difficulties of losing a loved one during COVID times. This book expands on a piece originally published in The New Yorker and contains as much grief, sadness, confusion and understanding as 67 pages can hold.
Where we begin
I really liked this straightforward and respectful picture book, originally published "across the pond" in England! Lovingly constructed with inclusive language and engaging, visibly diverse illustrations, you are sure to see some part of your family's experience reflected here. All families are ready for these important conversations at different times--as author Rachel Greener writes, "You and your family are amazing, just as you are!" When you're ready to talk the ways one egg, one sperm, and one womb can come together to create a baby, Making a baby is a great resource!
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