Staff pick cobb salad

We've been reading away here, soaking up the sunshine in John F Kennedy Park or on benches in Cambridge Common, and we have tons of new staff picks for your perusal!


The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Bookseller: Shara
Genre: realistic fiction, humor
Suggested reading level: ages 10 up

When Tommy's clueless friend Dwight creates an origami Yoda puppet that actually offers sage advice, Tommy begins to wonder where the wisdom is coming from. He needs to find out if he can trust Yoda before he takes crucial advice regarding a girl. Great for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.


Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Bookseller: Michelle
Genre: fantasy, vampires, romance
Suggested reading level: ages 15 up

I've loved McKinley's books ever since I found The Hero and the Crown. She's the kind of writer that can blur the lines of good and evil, magic and non-magic, dream and reality, love and friendship - all while making you crave muffins. Plus, Sunshine is about the best heroine you'll find: she's brave, she's funny, she doesn't trust anyone, and is one mean baker. (Muffins. Mmm.)


Clockwork by Philip Pullman
Bookseller: Natasha
Genre: magical realism
Suggested reading level: ages 8 up

This is a shorter novel that reads like a really creepy fairy tale. A great spooky bedtime read to ensure weird dreams. A master clockmaker has built an automaton (like in Hugo Cabret). The machine begins to develop a will of its own when not properly controlled. This will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end!


Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley
Bookseller: Morgan
Genre: Contemporary realistic fiction
Suggested reading level: ages 10 up

Livvie has autism. Her behavior feels beyond her control, and when her family is forced to move, Livvie is convinced that she is being called back to the home where they were all once happy - but getting there might be easier said than done. Dooley's storytelling puts the reader inside the complicated mind of Livvie Owen, and allows them to experience the world through her eyes.


Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin
Bookseller: Teresa
Genre: beginning chapter book, sibling story
Suggested reading level: ages 6 to 7

Ling and Ting are twins. People think they are exactly the same, but they are actually quite different. Ling uses a fork and Ting uses chopsticks. Ling has full bangs and Ting has choppy bangs. Plus, Ting blushes a lot (just like me)! This is a great beginning chapter book for young readers.


Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Bookseller: Natasha
Genre: humor, realistic fiction
Suggested reading level: ages 13 up

20-something Flora Poste is newly orphaned, and needs a place to live that will give her ideas for a novel she intends to write when she is 50. She gets the perfect opportunity when she finds a cache of crazy relatives in the English countryside. Funniest. Book. Ever.


The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat
Bookseller: Shara
Genre: modern fable, retelling of Tom Thumb
Suggested reading level: ages 12 up

One night during a vicious storm, the seven Doutreleau brothers fled from home to escape a violent end at the hands of their father. Through a series of interviews from people involved in the case, readers slowly find out what happened to 10 year old Yann Doutreleau who was never found.


The Wee Free Men: The Beginning by Terry Pratchett
Bookseller: Michelle
Genre: fantasy adventure, humor
Suggested reaing level: ages 12 up

For the record, Terry Pratchett is a fantasy humorist god-among-men-and-sheep. He can do no wrong in my book! Tiffany Aching is a dairymaid who takes on evil fairy ilk with a frying pan, a great pair of boots, and the overzealous help of tiny blue pseudo-Scottish men. Crivens! I read both books in one weekend. Look for the final Tiffany Aching book this fall!