Independent Reading

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex

Grades K-1

school

In School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex, everyone is nervous for the first day of school, especially the school itself. The school wonders how the children will behave and whether or not they will be nice to him. Read School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex to find out if the school is the only one with first-day jitters.

Memoirs, Netgalley Reviews

I Was Saved by the Bell: Stories of Life, Love, and Dreams That Do Come True by Peter Engel

Ages 18+
bellPeter Engel, the creator of the 90s TV show Saved By the Bell, tells of how hard he worked to make it happen, as well as stories from his life and what he learned along the way. Fans of the show will love reading this memoir about Engel and gain behind the scenes insight about Saved By the Bell.

Thanks to NetGalley.com for a review copy of this book.

Animals, Memoirs, Netgalley Reviews

Kit Kat and Lucy: The Country Cats Who Changed A City Girl’s World by Lonnie Hull Dupont

Ages 16+

cats

Kit Kat and Lucy were two cats who arrived in their humans’ lives a year apart and gave them what they’ve been missing. Lonnie and her husband Joe were long-time city people who moved to the country and settled in Michigan. Each cat having her own “personality,” Kit Kat and Lucy had to work their way into Lonnie and Joe’s hearts, and learn to get along with each other. The four became one big family, and Lonnie and Joe couldn’t imagine their lives without their furry friends.

Thanks to NetGalley.com for a review copy of this book.

Picture Books

Bear In Love by Daniel Pinkwater

Ages 1-7

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Bear finds a present outside his cave. It is orange, long and pointy, and sweet and crunchy. As he eats it, he wonders where it came from. The next day, two more of the same gift appears. He knows that someone who cares about him is leaving him the treats. But who? Bear wants to be able to leave a present for his secret admirer, too. He follows clues and eventually meets his special someone.

LGBTQ+, Romance, Tear Jerkers, YA Fiction

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Grades 9-12
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Fifteen-year-old Kendra has been seeing a therapist since the ugly memories of being raped at the age of two began to resurface. Try as she may, though, she is unable to remember the most important detail of the abuse: her rapist’s identity. She has the utmost trust in her therapist, but she can’t shake the feeling that someone is following her. To ease her fears, she cuts, but not one person in her life knows about it; not her therapist, her art teacher, or her friend Meghan who she hopes will soon turn into something more. Will Kendra heal before it’s too late?

Nonfiction

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Sheterly

Ages 14+
hidden-figuresThis is the true story of how four African American women helped achieve some of the greatest of NASA’s moments through their works in mathematics. These four women were Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden. They were a part of a group of people called “computers,” who calculated the math needed with pencils and adding machines. Through their work, they were able to launch rockets and astronauts into space. Don’t miss the movie adaptation of their story, staring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer.

Award/Honor Books, Romance, YA Fiction

When We Collided by Emery Lord

Grades 9-12

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Vivi has just arrived in Verona Cove for the summer, and she has already fallen in love with it. She is working at the local crafting store when Jonah and his little sister Leah come to paint. Jonah is only sixteen but has taken on the role of main caregiver for his siblings after his mother has fallen ill. Neither Vivi nor Jonah expected to become as close as they did so quickly, but meeting each other that summer changes their lives forever.