Staff Pick Pupu Platter

Need a great read for your spring break? Never fear, the CG blog is here with another installment of staff picks to help you find just the right one! From horror to humor, fantasy to mystery, and some books that bend and blend genres, you're sure to find something here for that long plane ride or lazy day in the sun.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Bookseller: Michelle
Genre: contemporary fiction/graphic novel; for fans of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Suggested reading level: age 12 and up

The three narratives of new-kid Jin Wang, TV's Chin-Kee, and the legend of the Monkey King come together in heart-breaking and hilarious ways to spin a new tale on the age-old theme of figuring out just where one fits in.


The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Bookseller: Katie
Genre: mystery
Suggested reading level: age 9 and up

Melanie and April are obsessed with Ancient Egypt, and a vacant lot seems the perfect place to create an Egypt of their own. "The Eygpt game" catches on with other neighborhood kids -- until a local murder adds unexpected danger. A Newbery Honor book; look for the sequel The Gypsy Game.


Barnaby Grimes: The Curse of the Night Wolf by Paul Stewart
Bookseller: Bindy
Genre: horror
Suggested reading level: age 9 and up

Manipulation of high society, explotation of social miscreants as practicest in the poshest and poorest parts of Victorian London set the bleak and shadowy mood for this "kill-the-beast" mystery, where readers are kept guessing at who the beast really is. Human, werewolf, or something worse?


Kit's Wilderness by David Almond
Bookseller: Miruna
Genre: magical realism
Suggested reading level: age 12 and up

The Watsons move back to Stoneygate to care for Kit's grandfather. Here Kit meets John Askew, a dangerous boy who teachers Kit the game called Death. A novel full of suspense, mystery, and magic, this is probably my favorite book in the store -- enjoy!!


The Mouse and His Child by Rusell Hoban
Bookseller: Rachel
Genre: toy fantasy
Suggested reading level: age 9 and up

When a toy wind-up mouse and his son are discarded, their real adventure begins! Follow them on their quest to become self-winding, through danger, separation, and philosophy to a hopeful end. An attentive reader will find something new in this book and its vivid cast of characters every time.