As 2021 comes to end it’s that time of year where everyone starts posting their best of lists and here at the library we want to share our favorites too. Without further ado these are the Youth Services favorite books we read and listened to this year.
Ms. Andrea, Youth Services/Family Engagement Coordinator
The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould: When Logan, the adopted daughter of reality television ghosthunters, teams up with Ashley to search for missing teens in Snakebite, Oregon, they find themselves falling for each other as they uncover a hidden evil.
Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale: Dropping out of high school to pursue her Broadway ambitions, a talented performer lands in a directionless job before a visit to the library catapults her into the plotlines of the books she reads.
It’s All Your Fault by Paul Rudnick: Seventeen-year-old Caitlin Singleberry is a proper Christian teenager and member of a family singing group, but today she has been given a truly impossible assignment–keep her cousin Heller Harrigan, Hollywood wild child, out of trouble for the last weekend before her first big movie debuts.
Ms. Charlotte, Teen Librarian
Spy X Family by Tatsuya Endo: Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson: Liz Lighty has always done her best to avoid the spotlight in her small, wealthy, and prom-obsessed midwestern high school, after all, her family is black and rather poor, especially since her mother died; instead she has concentrated on her grades and her musical ability in the hopes that it will win her a scholarship but when that scholarship falls through she is forced to turn to her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen, which plunges her into the gauntlet of social media which she hates and leads her to discoveries about her own identity and the value of true friendships.
Ms. Cheryl, Youth Services Librarian
The Berenstain Bears Around the World by Mike Berenstain: The Berenstain Bears travel around the world, from Africa to the Great Wall of China, using their Anywhere-Anyplace Machine.
Danny and the Dinosaur and the New Puppy by Syd Hoff: Danny gets a brand-new puppy, and the dinosaur can’t wait to join in on the fun! What happens when you play fetch with a dinosaur or ask him to roll over?
Pass the Ball, Mo! by David Adler: With the big game coming up, Mo Jackson, the shortest member of the basketball team, is determined to learn how to pass the ball in time to help his team win.
King and Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dorie Hillestad Butler: King’s human, Kayla, has baked some treats for a friend’s new puppy, Thor, but some go missing and it is up to King to find the culprit.
Humphrey’s Really Wheely Racing Day by Betty Birney: When Mandy, one of the students from classroom 26, brings a special hamster-sized racecar to class, it means just one thing–Humphrey is going to be in a hamster race.
Kylie Jean Gymnastics Queen by Marci Peschke: The Summer Olympics inspires Kylie Jean Carter to take gymnastics lessons, but even better than that is making a new friend, Abby, who is deaf, and starting to learn sign language.
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling: A boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate.
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein: Twelve-year-old Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of 12 children chosen to stay in the new town library for an overnight of fun, food and games, but in the morning, the kids find all the doors still locked and must work together to solve secret puzzles in order to discover the hidden escape route.
Overboard by Terry Lynn Johnson: Eleven-year-old Travis and twelve-year-old Stacey, separated from their families after being thrown into the ocean off the coast of Washington, battle hypothermia as they struggle to survive. Includes Coast Guard-approved cold-water survival tips.
Jeanna, Youth Services Librarian
Bone Gap By Laura Ruby: Eighteen-year-old Finn, an outsider in his quiet Midwestern town, is the only witness to the abduction of town favorite Roza, but his inability to distinguish between faces makes it difficult for him to help with the investigation, and subjects him to even more ridicule and bullying.
Milo Imagines the World by Matt de La Peña: While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be.
Ms. Jessica, Youth Services Librarian
There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher: Encourages the reader to shake, tilt, and wiggle the book to remove the little monster inside, but once it is out, another problem arises.
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone: An 11-year-old boy confronts the realities of race relations, past and present, and the mysterious agenda of his unconventional grandmother during an unplanned spring break road trip through the once-segregated American South.
The Bootlace Magician by Cassie Beasley: Micah Tuttle loves living at the magical Circus Mirandus, but when a dangerous enemy from the past threatens his new home, every magician will have to be ready to fight–including Micah.
Lisa Kropp, Library Director
Pax by Sara Pennypacker: When his father enlists in the military and makes him return his beloved pet fox to the wild, Peter, who has been sent to live with his grandfather hundreds of miles away, embarks on a journey filled with astonishing discoveries in order to be reunited with his fox.
Ms. Rosalia, Teen Librarian
You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus: Deciding to ditch school together, former friends Ivy, Cal and Mateo, in one chance move, find their day turning from dull to deadly when another student is murdered right in front of them.
Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro: Zoey discovers a glowing photo and learns an amazing secret. Injured magical animals come to their backyard barn for help! When a sick baby dragon appears, it’s up to Zoey and Sassafras to figure out what’s wrong. Will they be able to help little Marshmallow before it’s too late?
Something’s Wrong! A Bear, a Hare and Some Underwear by Jory John: Jeff the bear is sure he has forgotten something when he sets out from home, but none of the animals he meets initially inform him that he is only wearing his underwear, until he reaches his friend Anders the hare–who quickly thinks of a way to avoid embarrassing Jeff, by starting a fashion trend.