Staff Picks – February 2022

Superfudge
by Judy Blume

“Farley Drexel Hatcher—otherwise known as Fudge—thinks he’s a superhero, but his older brother, Peter, knows Fudge is nothing but a big pain! Dealing with Fudge is hard enough, but now Peter’s parents have decided to move to New Jersey for an entire year! Even worse, Peter’s mom is going to have a new baby. And if this baby is anything like Fudge—help! How will Peter ever survive?” -amazon.com

Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library
by Julie Gassman

“Have you ever thought about bringing your dragon to the library? Don’t do it! You might have the best intentions, but that dragon will cause nothing but trouble. Using rhyming text and a diverse cast of characters, this charming picture book will provide some important―and some not so important―library etiquette in a very entertaining way.” – amazon.com.

Every Breath
by Nicholas Sparks

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death.

When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable, but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas

“Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.” -amazon.com.

Good Morning To You, Valentine: Poems
selected by Hopkins, Lee Bennett

In a whimsical tribute to that special day in February when lovers wear their hearts on their sleeves, Lee Bennett Hopkins presents a varied array of poetry that ranges from the sentimental to the silly, from William Shakespeare to verses that might be scribbled by school children on homemade cards.

Four Hundred Souls
edited by Ibram X. Kendi

“Four Hundred Souls is a unique one-volume “community” history of African Americans. The editors, Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, have assembled ninety brilliant writers, each of whom takes on a five-year period of that four-hundred-year span. The writers explore their periods through a variety of techniques: historical essays, short stories, personal vignettes, and fiery polemics. They approach history from various perspectives: through the eyes of towering historical icons or the untold stories of ordinary people; through places, laws, and objects. While themes of resistance and struggle, of hope and reinvention, course through the book, this collection of diverse pieces from ninety different minds, reflecting ninety different perspectives, fundamentally deconstructs the idea that Africans in America are a monolith—instead it unlocks the startling range of experiences and ideas that have always existed within the community of Blackness.” – amazon.com.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Storybook Based on the Movie
by Les Martin

“An American archaeology professor becomes involved in an attempt to prevent the Nazis from locating a sacred Hebrew relic which, according to legend, has awesome, supernatural power.” – googlebooks.com