Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis

By Dav Pilkey
Location: PIC PIL
Genre: Dogs   

From Dav Pilkey, creator of the New York Times bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, comes Hally Tosis, the adorable dog that will take your breath away!

Hally Tosis is a great family dog, but there is one rotten thing about her: her breath! It is so smelly, Hally's pet parents want to find a new home for her. The children, desperate to keep their beloved pet, try everything to rid Hally of her stinky stench. They take her for a breathtaking view, a movie that would leave her breathless, and a ride on a roller coaster that would make her lose her breath, but Hally's putrid panting persists! Only a miracle could save her now!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! Ok...the laughing is out of my system....hehe. Or not.

Seriously though, this book is great. A must read for Dav Pilkey fans or even for anybody who just needs a good laugh. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go regain my composure.

*gets up out of chair, takes about one step and then falls on the floor in laughing heap. Slaps the floor a bit and then begins rolling around while clutching stomach. Howls a little due to stomach pain, but continues laughing anyway"- Samantha

The World Beneath Their Feet: The British, the Americans, the Nazis and the Mountaineering Race to Summit the Himalayas

By: Scott Ellsworth
Location: FIC ELL
Genre: Himalayas, Nazis and a Race  

'Gripping' Sunday Times

'Like if Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air met Lauren Hillenbrand's Unbroken ... an inviting and engrossing read' Sports Illustrated

One of the most compelling international dramas of the 20th century and an unforgettable saga of survival, technological innovation, and breathtaking human physical achievement-all set against the backdrop of a world headed toward war.

While tension steadily rose between European powers in the 1930s, a different kind of battle was raging across the Himalayas. Contingents from Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the United States had set up rival camps at the base of the mountains, all hoping to become recognized as the fastest, strongest, and bravest climbers in the world.

Carried on across nearly the entire sweep of the Himalayas, this contest involved not only the greatest mountain climbers of the era, but statesmen and millionaires, world-class athletes and bona fide eccentrics, scientists and generals, obscure villagers and national heroes.

Centered in the 1930s, with one brief, shining postwar coda, the contest was a struggle between hidebound traditionalists and unknown innovators, one that featured new techniques and equipment, unbelievable courage and physical achievement, and unparalleled valor. And death. One Himalayan peak alone, Nanga Parbat in Kashmir, claimed twenty-five lives in less than three years.

Climbing the Himalayas was the Greatest Generation's moonshot--one shrouded in the onset of war, interrupted by it, and then fully accomplished. A gritty, fascinating history that promises to enrapture fans of Hampton Side, Jon Krakauer, and Laura Hillenbrand, The World Beneath Their Feet brings this forgotten story back to life.

Beyond Belief

By: Dee White
Location: FIC WHI
Genre: Historical Fiction- Holocaust  

Beyond Belief is a a creative look into the true stories of Muslims saving Jewish children during World War II.

 "An enjoyable and interesting look into the way Muslim people helped Jewish people during WW2. Great to have a different perspective of this historical period and be reminded of the resilience, courage and empathy shown by so many people during the Holocaust."- Anna


A fantastic young adult novel set in France during the Second World War. Inspired by the true story of Muslims who saved the lives of Jewish children in Paris. It is a time when the Nazis are rounding up all Jewish people in and around Paris. Reuben is taken to a mosque by his mother with a promise the family would all meet up in Spain. But of course, this cannot happen. Reuben is forced to escape the mosque with two other Jewish children, when all in the mosque are being persecuted by the Germans. The children are helped by the French underground to try and make it to safety. The risks they must take and the heartache suffered makes for a gripping novel.

Yes, No, Maybe, So

By: Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Location: FIC ALB
Genre: Romance

"The truth is, it's a weird time to be coming of age. The world's really messy right now. And it's so hard to be twelve or thirteen or fifteen or seventeen, where you're old enough to get it, but... you can't vote"

Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state candidate - as long as he’s behind the scenes. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is cancelled, her parents are separating and now her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing - with some awkward guy she hardly knows ...

Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer - and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.

 "I thought going in that this would be a sweet, summery romance with a little bit of political discourse sprinkled in. It was, but it was also relevant, engaging and realistic. The romance took a back seat to the friendship and political aspects, which I loved. It had something for everyone, from relatable characters, to diversity in terms of race and religion to fighting for what you believe in. As someone who is currently too young to vote, I loved how the authors depicted teenagers in today’s political arena. The characters feel so deeply and strongly and want to make a difference- but people don’t take them seriously because of their age and they begin to feel helpless and insignificant.

"The truth is, it's a weird time to be coming of age. The world's really messy right now. And it's so hard to be twelve or thirteen or fifteen or seventeen, where you're old enough to get it, but... you can't vote"

I loved the ending of this book, in terms of the result of the election. I won’t say anything about it, because it is very easily spoiled.

While this book is intended to make you mad and feel the passion that it is so evident these authors feel about the current state of America’s government- it left me with a feeling of hope. Hope that our generation can change things. Hope that even though I am young, I can make a difference, no matter how small. Hope that life can improve for the thousands who are suffering under oppressive and discriminatory governments and sovereignties not just in the US but across the world.

Hope that one day, a teenager can look back on this book and not relate to the issues we are facing today." Sarah- Goodreads.com

What Stars Are Made Of.

By: Sarah Allen
Location: FIC ALL
Genre: Family, Illness, Courage, Disability

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all"

What a sweet, heart-wrenching read. This was so beautifully done. Libby was such a perfect character and I loved her so much. I flew through this one!- Brielle

From the publishers who brought you Wonder, comes an astonishingly bold and moving middle-grade debut about family, friendship and how it's OK to be different.

Libby wants to be a scientist when she grows up, just like her hero, the underrated astronomer Cecilia Payne. She'd also do anything for her family - and when her beloved big sister Nonny is in trouble, Libby comes up with the perfect plan to help her, and at the same time remind the world what stars are made of.

"Through the eyes of 12-yr-old Libby, children will experience what it is like living with the rare genetic disorder Turners Syndrome. This is a female-only genetic disorder that affects about 1 in every 2,000 baby girls, and the author, Sarah Allen, herself. Babies with the disorder can often be born with a heart three sizes too big for their body. So, when Libby learns that her sister Nonny is having a baby, Libby begins to worry about the baby being born with an impairment too. She sets in motion a plan to win a contest with the Smithsonian Institution to help her sister save money and keep a deal with destiny."

My Plain Jane

By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
Location: FIC HAN
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sereis: The Lady Janies #2

"A fantastic, romantic, comedic, entriley ( but not reaaly) faithful retelling of Jane Eyre"


Move over, Charlotte Brontë. The authors of the New York Times bestselling My Lady Jane are back with an irreverent spin on Jane Eyre—a tale of mischief, romance, and supernatural mayhem perfect for fans of The Princess Bride or A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

You may think you know the story. Penniless orphan Jane Eyre begins a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester—and, Reader, she marries him. Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Bronte, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

The Obsoletes

By: Simeon Mills
Location: FIC MIL
Genre: Sci Fi, Coming of age, Basketball  

“Curious, sweet, heartbreaking, and redemptive” (Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author), this is a funny, poignant look at brotherhood, xenophobia, and the limits of one’s programming.

In this “inventive, moving, and funny” (Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author) coming-of-age novel, two human-like teen robots navigate high school, basketball, and potentially life-threatening consequences if their true origins are discovered by the inhabitants of their intolerant 1980s Michigan hometown.

Fraternal twin brothers Darryl and Kanga are just like any other teenagers trying to make it through high school. They have to deal with peer pressure, awkwardness, and family drama. But there’s one closely guarded secret that sets them apart: they’re robots. So long as they keep their heads down, their robophobic neighbors won’t discover the truth about them and they just might make it through to graduation.

"But when Kanga becomes the star of the basketball team, his worrywart brother Darryl now has to work a million times harder to keep them both out of the spotlight. Though they look, sound, and act perfectly human, if anyone in their small, depressed Michigan town were to find out what they truly are, they’d likely be disassembled by an angry mob in the middle of their school gym.
Well-done coming of age story for two young brothers who have a secret to keep - they are robots in an age still deeply angered by their very existence. Set in an alternate time line where robots who could pass for human were invented in the 1970s, but most everything else is the same. The economic turmoil and xenophobia of our times has a different focus - the robots. One brother is more cautious than the other, but still a pre-teen and later a teenager at heart. All the stresses of growing up are compounded by their need to hide in plain sight. There's a girl involved, the company who made them, their basketball coach and teammates and a few more characters who make the plot turn. Touching, funny, charming and thought-provoking in turn. Good stuff!"