Spotlight on Nutmegs: See You At Harry's

“I breath in and out through my mouth to feel the quiet. In. Out. Over and over. Until I fall asleep.”

Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges — until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal.

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern, but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same. (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: Never Fall Down

“Long time I been on my own, but now really I'm alone. I survive the killing, the starving, all the hate of the Khmer Rouge, but I think maybe now I will die of this, of broken heart.”

Based on the true story of Cambodian advocate Arn Chorn-Pond, and authentically told from his point of view as a young boy, this is an achingly raw and powerful historical novel about a child of war who becomes a man of peace. It includes an author's note and acknowledgments from Arn Chorn-Pond himself.

When soldiers arrive in his hometown, Arn is just a normal little boy. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children dying before his eyes. One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers. This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier. (x)

Booklist: How to Survive High School

It's that time of year again... back to school season! Check out this great booklist full of teens figuring out how to survive high school & the real world, and just maybe having some fun along the way, too!

This Week at the Library: August 17 - 23

Gaming Club
Tuesday, August 19
1:30 - 3:30 PM

Back to School Notebooks
Wednesday, August 20
3:00 - 4:00 PM

Movie Nights @ the Library: Divergent
Thursday, August 21
@ 5:00 PM

Summer Reading - Teen Reviews!

You guys wrote so many great reviews this past week, there was no way we could have fit them all on one page! Here are just a few of the books you liked best, and your reasons why. Don't forget to stop by the Teen Zone to ask for more recommendations - and ask your friends too, of course!

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

""This was an intriguing, entertaining, engaging, insightful, hilarious novel that is an easy read." 

                                                                             - Callie

Jackaby by William Ritter

"When Abigail Rooks arrives in New England Looking for an adventure, the last thing she expects is becoming a book keeper for a detective. But she soon finds out that her young boss, R.F. Jackaby, deals in supernatural crimes. Before she knows it, she is sucked into a murder investigation that has the whole town in panic, and one that Jackaby claims involves a nonhuman murderer. Follow Abigail and Jackaby as they uncover the supernatural creatures that live among us while trying to save the town from the monsters that hide in plain sight."

                                                                      - Patrick

The Final Four by Paul Volponi

"I thought that this book was very suspenseful and exciting, because when the game in the book got into almost five overtime it was intense. I would recommend this book."

                                                                        - Cameron

I am the Mission by Allen Zadoff

"An interesting sequel to "I am the Weapon." It was an exciting book and left me wanting for more."

                                                                  - Chance

The Tombs by Clive Cussler

"A bit of a crazy story, with an even crazier ending! A little...ridiculous in places, but I guess Bako is so rich, he has no limits, and doesn't care."

                                                                 - David

Spotlight on Nutmegs: One for the Murphys

“Sometimes I wonder. On the pathetic scale, where would I land? I know other kids my age would go to the mall if they cut school, but I'm off to the library.”

Twelve-year-old Carley Connors can take a lot. Growing up in Las Vegas with her fun-loving mother, she's learned to be tough. But she never expected a betrayal that would land her in a foster care. When she's placed with the Murphys, a lively family with three boys, she's blindsided. Do happy families really exist? Carley knows she could never belong in their world, so she keeps her distance.

It's easy to stay suspicious of Daniel, the brother who is almost her age and is resentful she's there. But Mrs. Murphy makes her feel heard and seen for the first time, and the two younger boys seem determinded to work their way into her heart. Before she knows it, Carley is protected the boys from a neighbourhood bullly and even teaching Daniel how to play basketball. Then just when she's feeling like she could truly be one of the Murphys, news from her mother shakes her world. (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: Out of the Easy

“I leapt eagerly into books. The characters’ lives were so much more interesting than the lonely heartbeat of my own.”

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. (x)