New Books for November 20
Behind the red door : a novel
Collins, Megan, 1984- author
2020
A darkly thrilling novel about a woman who comes to believe that she has a connection to a decades old kidnapping and now that the victim has gone missing again, begins a frantic search to learn what happened in the past.
Being Lolita : a memoir
Wood, Alisson, author
2020
Seventeen-year-old Alisson Wood is newly back at her public high school for her senior year, still grappling with depression. The only place she finds solace is in her writing - and then in her writing teacher, Nick North, who pays attention to the lonely high schooler and takes her under his wing. This book powerfully explores our shifting perceptions of consent, male dominance, and free will. It is a stunning coming-of-age memoir of obsession, passion, and manipulation - and of what happens when a young woman discovers her entire narrative must be rewritten.
Claude : the true story of a white alligator
Smith, Emma Bland, author
2020
"A nonfiction picture book about Claude the albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences."-- Provided by publisher.
Curious encounters : 1 to 13 forest friends
Clanton, Ben, 1988- author
2020
"An original and creative approach to a 32-page counting book - from 1 to 12 - that features Pacific North West critters."-- Provided by publisher.
Displacement
Hughes, Kiku, author, artist
2020
Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II. These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself "stuck" back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive. Kiku Hughes weaves a riveting, bittersweet tale that highlights the intergenerational impact and power of memory.
Don't ask me where I'm from
De Leon, Jennifer, 1979- author
2020
It's fine that Lilliana's best friend, Jade, is all caught up in her new boyfriend lately. It's fine that her inner-city high school is disorganized and underfunded. It's fine that her father took off again, and she's left with her increasingly crazy mom, her heathen little brothers. But it turns out before he left, he signed Liliana up for a school desegregation program called METCO. At Westburg, Liliana-- half-Guatemalan and half-Salvadorian-- must struggle with being a minority. The only way to survive is to whiten up. When she discovers the truth about her father-- he's undocumented and he's been deported back to Guatemala-- nothing is fine. And Lili is done changing who she is, denying her culture and where she came from. -- adapted from jacket and Goodreads info
The forest of stars
Kassner, Heather, author
2020
After her mother dies, twelve-year-old Louisa LaRoche is awaiting the return of her father when she finds a ticket to the Carnival Beneath the Stars and is drawn toward a magical but dangerous fate.
Gurple and Preen : a broken crayon cosmic adventure
Park, Linda Sue, author
2020
"When Gurple and Preen crash land onto a strange alien planet, they must work together to build something new from their mistake in order to save their mission."-- Provided by publisher.
Mask
Hannigan, Kate, author
2020
Akiko, Mae, and Josie, also called the Infinity Trinity, spring into action after learning that a spy is betraying secrets to the Japanese military--and that Akiko's mother may be involved.
Migrations
McConaghy, Charlotte, author
2020
Franny Stone has always been a wanderer. By following the ocean’s tides and the birds that soar above, she can forget the losses that have haunted her life. On a remote Greenland, Franny finds the world’s last flock of Arctic terns and follow them on their final migration. She convinces Ennis Malone, captain of the Saghani, to take her onboard with promises that the birds she is tracking will lead them to fish. Franny is full of dark secrets, so when the story of her past begins to unspool, Ennis and his crew must ask themselves what Franny is really running toward - and running from.
Mr. Lemoncello and the titanium ticket
Grabenstein, Chris, author
2020
"Four lucky kids go on a scavenger hunt inside Mr. Lemoncello's Gameworks factory, where they compete for a chance to win a titanium ticket."-- Provided by publisher.
Pacey Packer, unicorn tracker. 1
Phillipps, J. C. (Julie C.), author, artist
2020
Twelve-year-old Pacey travels through Rundalyn to rescue her little sister, Mina, who was taken there by Slasher, her unicorn-turned-plush toy, who hopes to regain his rightful form and place in society.
Phoebe and her unicorn. 12, Virtual unicorn experience
Simpson, Dana, 1977-, author, artist
2020
"The Phoebe and Her Unicorn adventures continue in the latest installment from Dana Simpson. With over 1.6 million copies sold, the Phoebe and Her Unicorn book series for middle-grade readers is an immensely popular and magical word of unicorns, adventure, and friendship"-- Provided by publisher.
The power of one : every act of kindness counts
Ludwig, Trudy, author
2020
"When one child reaches out in friendship to a classmate who seems lonely, she begins a chain reaction of kindness that ripples throughout her school and her community."-- Provided by publisher.
Randy, the beautiful horse
McBeth, T. L., author
2020
Randy knows he's a beautiful horse--everyone says so. But is he?
Rise of the Slugs
Gilligan, Paul, author
2020
Catastrophe continues to stalk Doug as he is put in charge of his school's spring dance committee while trying to spruce up his house to be sold, aided in both efforts by subterranean creatures.
Royal : a novel
Steel, Danielle, author
2020
As the war rages on in the summer of 1943, the King and Queen choose to quietly send their youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte, to live with a trusted noble family in the country. Third in line for the throne, seventeen year-old Charlotte reluctantly uses an alias upon her arrival in Yorkshire, her two guardians the only keepers of her true identity. No one predicts that in the coming months she will fall deeply in love with her protectors' son. When a stack of hidden letters comes to light, a secret kept for nearly two decades finally surfaces, and a long lost princess emerges.
The second wife
Fleet, Rebecca, author
2020
Alex has been given a second lease on life with Natalie, to whom he is newly married. In the wake of a house fire, Natalie confides in Alex about a past that she has always kept hidden: eighteen years ago, she testified as a witness in a murder trial involving her reckless and defiant sister, Sadie. Natalie was placed under witness protection and given a new identity. Alex is forced to recognize that his wife's actions are now putting his family at risk - and that perhaps he is more deeply involved than he ever realized.
Sia Martinez and the moonlit beginning of everything
Vasquez Gilliland, Raquel, author
2020
Artemisia (Sia) Martinez's mother was deported to Mexico by ICE and disappeared in the Sonoran Desert trying to make it back to her American family; Sia believes that she was as-good-as murdered by ICE and the sheriff in their small Arizona town on the edge of the national park, and wants revenge against him and his son, Jeremy--but her search for the truth will uncover many more secrets than she counted on.
The smallest lights in the universe : a memoir
Seager, Sara, author
2020
"In this luminous memoir, an MIT astrophysicist must reinvent herself in the wake of tragedy and discovers the power of connection on this planet, even as she searches our galaxy for another Earth. Sara Seager has always been in love with the stars: so many lights in the sky, so much possibility. Now a pioneering planetary scientist, she searches for exoplanets--especially that distant, elusive world that sustains life. But with the unexpected death of Seager's husband, the purpose of her own life becomes hard for her to see. Suddenly, at forty, she is a widow and the single mother of two young boys. For the first time, she feels alone in the universe. As she struggles to navigate her life after loss, Seager takes solace in the alien beauty of exoplanets and the technical challenges of exploration. At the same time, she discovers earthbound connections that feel every bit as wondrous, when strangers and loved ones alike reach out to her across the space of her grief. Among them are the Widows of Concord, a group of women offering advice on everything from home maintenance to dating, and her beloved sons, Max and Alex. Most unexpected of all, there is another kind of one-in-a-billion match, not in the stars but here at home. Probing and invigoratingly honest, The Smallest Lights in the Universe is its own kind of light in the dark."-- Provided by publisher.
So you want to talk about race
Oluo, Ijeoma, author
2018
Ijeoma Oluo offers a take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on issues such as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.
Sun and Moon together
Long, Ethan, author, illustrator
2020
The animal residents of Happy County learn about the important activities of the Sun and the Moon.
The tech solution : creating healthy habits for kids growing up in a digital world
Kang, Shimi K. author
2020
New research shows alarming increases in stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and addiction among those who have grown up in a world of booming digital technology. Dr. Kang believes the way we consume technology can have profound effects on our minds. The Tech Solution simplifies the cutting edge neuroscience behind technology use to reveal the ways we are affected by different digital tech experiences--how some experiences nurture young, developing brains while others can set our children off down darker paths during their crucial formative years. Learn how to spot the signs of positive, neutral, and negative technology consumption, and how to work with children, teens, and young adults to find a powerful balance that will lay the foundation for lasting success.
True story : a novel
Petty, Kate Reed, author
2020
2015. A gifted and reclusive ghostwriter, Alice Lovett makes a living helping other people tell their stories. But she is haunted by the one story she can't tell: the story of, as she puts it, "the things that happened while I was asleep." 1999. Nick Brothers and his lacrosse teammates return for their senior year at their wealthy Maryland high school as the reigning state champions. They're on top of the world until two of his friends drive a passed-out girl home from one of the team's "legendary" parties, and a rumor about what happened in the back seat spreads through the town like wildfire. The boys deny the allegations, and, eventually, the town moves on. But not everyone can. Nick descends into alcoholism, and Alice builds a life in fits and starts, underestimating herself and placing her trust in the wrong people. When she finally gets the opportunity to confront the past she can't remember but which has nonetheless shaped her life, will she take it?
The unicorn whisperer : another Phoebe and her unicorn adventure
Simpson, Dana, 1977- author, illustrator
2019