Staff Pick Goodie Bag

It's been a bit since the last staff pick sampler dish, eh? We've been reading all kinds of new fall titles as well as revisiting some classics, so here is a tasting of our latest recommended reads. (Look out for some new chroom staffer names on here too!)

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
Bookseller: Rachel
Genre: graphic novel, biography, romance
Suggested reading level: ages 14 up

Ehwa is a young girl just beginning to blossom while her widowed mother longs for love to come again; both of them must bear the weight of social tradition in their turn-of-the-century Korean village. Also check out the other books in this trilogy, The Color of Water and The Color of Heaven.


The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Bookseller: Michelle
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction, school story
Suggested reading level: ages 14 up


Private school sophomore Frankie attracts the attention of popular senior Matt, but when she discovers he is in a secret society that doesn't include girls she takes matters into her own mastermind hands. Perfect for any girl who doesn't want to be called "harmless." This Printz Honor and National Book Award Finalist is now in paperback.


A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Bookseller: Anne
Genre: historic fiction, fantasy
Suggested reading level: ages 12 and up

Gemma's got sass and the usual growing pains on top of being dropped off at a stuffy boarding school. Of course, there's a little gothic romance in the series, but you have to wait for it. It's great fun to watch her slowly discover her 'gift' and legacy. Strong memorable characters.


Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Bookseller: Katie
Genre: girls' health nonfiction
Suggested reading level: 13 and up


Like The Care and Keeping of You for younger girls and Our Bodies, Ourselves, for adults, Body Drama addresses questions about health and body image which young women may not know how to ask. Redd tackles tough issues with wit and tact, without talking down to teens and their concerns.


The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald
Bookseller: Miruna
Genre: humor
Suggested reading level: ages 8 and up

I like funny books. This one I loved! If you like to laugh, you have to get it. Tom, aka the Great Brain is really something - he gets into all sorts of trouble and always manages to get away with it. This book reminds me of Tom Sawyer, which I also LOVED.


Wonderland by Tommy Kovac, illustrated by Sonny Liew
Bookseller: Natasha
Genre: graphic novel, fantasy, retelling
Suggested reading level: ages 9 up


"Mary Ann! Mary Ann!" Just who was this Mary Ann that the White Rabbit was looking for in the Disney Alice in Wonderland? This graphic novel, with incredibly vibrant illustrations, tells the story of the White Rabbit's housemaid Mary Ann, picking up where the movie left off. Intrigue and fun abound!


Notes from the Dog by Gary Paulsen
Bookseller: Taylor
Genre: realism
Suggested reading level: ages 12 up

When Finn meets his new neighbor Johanna, a cancer survivor, he instantly realizes his summer - and perhaps his entire life - will never be the same. YA veteran Paulsen delivers another extremely relatable teenage character in this short novel that is certainly not short on emotion; be prepared to both laugh and cry your way through.