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  • 5 stars out of 5

Greenwild: the world behind the door by Pari Thomson

11-year old Daisy Thistledown has spent her life traveling around the world with her investigative journalist mother. When her mother disappears while reporting on environmental politics in the Amazon rainforest,...

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

In P. Djèlí Clark’s book, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, those sworn to the Matron of Assassins are resurrected from the dead, are absolutely deadly, and are completely devoid of...

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines by Mo Netz

11-year old Jerry and her mother have moved around a lot in the year since her father died. When Mama says they will be staying for good at the Slumbering...

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is the first book in a new trilogy by Shannon Chakraborty. It’s a tale of the high seas featuring pirates and sorcerers, ancient mysteries, magical...

Posted by on January 1, 2024

  • 5 stars out of 5

Barb The Last Berzerker by Dan Abdo & Jason Patterson

An endless war has been waged between humans and monsters, and only the bravest among them—The Berzerkers—can defeat the monsters and save the world of Bailiwick once and for all!...

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

Megan Miranda's writing is tense and atmospheric, creating a sense of unease that permeates the entire book. The pacing is excellent, with just enough suspense to keep the reader guessing...

Posted by on May 1, 2023

  • 5 stars out of 5

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris

This book is just the perfect mix of fun, ridiculous, and adorable.  There is a cat who has been bioengineered to to be a hero, a toe-nail clipping robot looking...

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

Bobby Western, son of a nuclear physicist who worked with Robert Oppenheimer on the atomic bomb, is a salvage diver based in New Orleans tasked with investigating a private plane...

Indigenous Voices & Experiences: A Reading List for Teens

We hope these selections serve to educate, celebrate, and encourage dialogue on the diverse nations, cultures, and experiences of Native peoples throughout North America. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month—and continue...

Posted by on November 4, 2022

  • 5 stars out of 5

Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end food delivery driver. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom. Tom...

Posted by on August 1, 2022

  • 5 stars out of 5

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat

Twelve Thai boys and their soccer coach bike out to a cave to explore. What they couldn’t have planned on was the rain that would flood the cave in the...

2021 Best Suspense Novels

Below are a few of the top selling 2021 suspense novels. The Survivors by Jane Harper Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating...

  • 5 stars out of 5

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner

Its tough feeling ordinary, especially when your friends are all out having epic summer adventures. From bungee jumps to volcano hikes, AJ can’t help but feel that his summer spent...

  • 4 stars out of 5

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the...

Posted by on September 28, 2021

Manga Essentials

Enjoy this selection of essential manga by Westmont Public Library Librarian, Gil!

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Touraine was kidnapped as a child by the Balladaire Empire and forced to become a soldier. Now, years later, she and her company are returning to her homeland Qazal to...

Posted by on September 21, 2021

  • 5 stars out of 5

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s greatest assassin. After being enslaved and imprisoned, she accepts the Crown Prince’s offer to compete with other assassins and thieves for a chance to serve as...

Posted by on August 12, 2021

Acclaimed Foreign Language TV Series

Babylon Berlin Police commissioner Gereon Rath is transferred from Cologne to Berlin, the epicenter of political and social change in the Golden Twenties. Shellshocked from his service during World War...

Posted by on August 4, 2021

  • 3 stars out of 5

Vampirates: Demons of the ocean by Justin Somper

After their father’s death, twins Grace and Connor set sail on the open sea in hopes of finding a better life.  When caught in the eye of a storm they...

  • 4 stars out of 5

Redline by Takeshi Koike

In the anime movie Redline, a giant whale monster that is biologically fused with a space army general fights an enormous glowing uncontrollable biological weapon named Funky Boy. That’s not...

Posted by on July 13, 2021

A Century of Reading: The 1920s

Enjoy this selection of titles to highlight the breadth of work produced in the Roaring Twenties!

Posted by on June 1, 2021

  • 4 stars out of 5

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party by Nathan Hale

Nathan Hales’ Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party breaks down this squeamish story from history in a way that’s both historically accurate and child friendly. This graphic novel tells the story...

Posted by on April 29, 2021

  • 5 stars out of 5

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

If you like solving mysteries, this book is for you! Five unsuspecting students are given after-school detention because of a weird misunderstanding. During detention, the most horrible thing happens –...

Posted by on March 11, 2021

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Art of Inventing Hope: Intimate Conversations with Elie Wiesel by Howard Reich

Howard Reich, the son of two Holocaust survivors and a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, was assigned by the paper in 2012 to interview one of the world’s most well-known...

Posted by on January 21, 2021

  • 5 stars out of 5

Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson

Stephen Leeds is not insane. How do you know that? Well, he tells you that repeatedly. It’s his hallucinations that are crazy. Stephen Leeds is a genius, but his genius...

Posted by on November 24, 2020

  • 4 stars out of 5

Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict by Marie Benedict

As a beautiful debutante in British society, 19 year old Clementine Hozier was reserved in the company of others. Often disliked due to the notoriety of her aristocratic parents, she...

Posted by on November 17, 2020

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

If you have ever wanted to be a dragon, this series is for you! Different dragon clans of Pyrrhia have been at war for centuries with no end in sight....

Posted by on October 15, 2020

  • 4 stars out of 5

Gotham High by Melissa de la Cruz

What if Bruce Wayne made his way back to Gotham a little sooner than everyone thought? What if he and the Joker were actually school mates? Maybe even friends?  Long...

Posted by on September 3, 2020

  • 5 stars out of 5

Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris

A curious bear embarks on a fast-moving adventure when he steps onto a log leaning over a river. Along the way he meets a diverse cast of friends, all with...

Posted by on August 20, 2020

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

Waking up – from the middle of a dream – you wonder, what just happened? Where am I? Are you in a dream state or sleepwalking? Your thoughts freeze you...

  • 5 stars out of 5

Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert

Favorite picture book author / illustrator Lois Ehlert introduces 12 backyard birds to young children through their adventure with a sneaky cat.

Posted by on April 2, 2020

  • 5 stars out of 5

Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen

“3:47 a.m. That’s when they arrive for Wren Clemmens. She’s hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march...

Posted by on January 9, 2020

  • 5 stars out of 5

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

If you like fairytale retellings, this book is the one for you! This Cinderella story set in a futuristic Earth with cyborgs and Lunar beings is the perfect start to...

Posted by on January 2, 2020

  • 5 stars out of 5

Snowball by Paul Linnet and Sue Hendra

A smiling little snowball stands at the top of a hill looking down upon a town. Thinking that a visit to town would be fun, he decides to take a...

Posted by on December 19, 2019

  • 4 stars out of 5

March of the Mini Beasts by Ada Hopper

The DATA Set is a group of three Latino second graders known for their interest in science and engineering. This first book in the series finds the friends going house...

  • 5 stars out of 5

The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

This novel begins in Berlin in 1941 and follows the life of a young Jewish girl, Lea, whose mother, Hanni, will do anything to keep her safe. She consults a...

Posted by on November 5, 2019

  • 4 stars out of 5

White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat is the first novel in a suspenseful, action-packed trilogy about Cassel Sharpe’s plots and exploits as he dodges both curse workers and the feds.

Posted by on April 10, 2019

  • 2 stars out of 5

Spider-man: Homecoming

In this superhero action/adventure movie, we join Peter Parker (Spider-man) after his big debut with the Avengers. The famous Tony Stark (Iron Man) has made Peter his protegee, equipping him...

Posted by on January 31, 2019

  • 4 stars out of 5

Mac B., Kid Spy: Mac Undercover by Mac Barnett

Mac B. may be a kid, but he’s also the Queen of England’s newest secret agent. This wacky, almost-autobiographical adventure follows young, international best-selling author Mac Barnett on his search...

Posted by on November 25, 2018

  • 5 stars out of 5

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Think Ocean’s Eleven, if the Ocean’s Eleven crew contained six teenage misfits living in medieval, high-fantasy Amsterdam. Presented with the opportunity of a lifetime (read: more money than he could’ve...

Posted by on November 20, 2018

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker

Fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and those interested in Norse history and culture will all find this historical fiction highly enjoyable, though liberal in its characterizations of...

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Woman Left Behind

It was sheer madness for Jina Modell, who shouldered her pack and used her compass to “find” her team leader Levi in the wilderness. She kept telling herself that the...

Posted by on November 10, 2018

  • 4 stars out of 5

Rat Attack by Molly Coxe

Gram is making jam for Ann, Fran, and Stan, but she better beware. Nat the Rat likes jam too! Nat, Pat, and Matt appear in various disguises in an attempt...

Posted by on October 31, 2018

  • 5 stars out of 5

Up by Pete Docter

With an emotional opening, a dramatic journey, and feel-good ending full of warm fuzzies, Up is bound to appeal to viewers of any age.

Posted by on October 18, 2018

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson

Everyone has a fascination with something, be it mechanisms, cars, animals, food; the Butterfly Garden is the story about a man’s fascination with butterflies. As normal of a concept as...

Posted by on July 12, 2018

  • 5 stars out of 5

A Quiet Place

The concept of an angry invading alien force has always been a terrifying concept, I mean hello, War of the Worlds? But an angry invading alien force that kills everything...

Posted by on July 12, 2018

  • 3 stars out of 5

The Great Wall by Yimou Zhang

Viewers who want period accuracy and believable tales can skip this one.  For the rest, the story is entertaining, but not particularly surprising. 

Posted by on July 11, 2018

  • 3 stars out of 5

Shadow Woman

Readers should be prepared to suspend their disbelief as Lizette deals with the ramifications of some shady science, which is no longer performing as planned.

Posted by on June 27, 2018

  • 4 stars out of 5

Jessica Jones Season 1 by Melissa Rosenberg

Jessica Jones sometimes recalls the gritty glamour of film noir from the ‘40s and ‘50s, but with less glamour and more grit. Lots more grit.

Posted by on June 27, 2018

  • 3 stars out of 5

Dream Jumper: Nightmare Escape by Greg Grunberg and Lucas Turnbloom

Ben spends a lot of time in other people’s dreams. Literally. When Ben falls asleep, he gains the ability to “jump” into people’s heads, navigating the dream world and more-than-occasionally...

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Right Side by Spencer Quinn

Army Sergeant LeAnne Hogan knows that there is something important that she must remember about her last mission in Afghanistan, called “Operation Midnight Special” but finds past events too elusive...

  • 4 stars out of 5

Fire Truck to the Rescue! by Alan Copeland

Fire Truck to the Rescue! is an interactive board book written for the active toddler. Open it up, grab hold of the handles built into the sides and you’re all...

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school for the same reasons as many people. The work will be hard and the hours long but when you’re through you’ll be...

Posted by on April 3, 2018

  • 4 stars out of 5

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Pax, a pet fox, has been inseparable from his boy, Peter, ever since he found him at only a few weeks old. When Peter’s father enlists in the war and...

  • 3 stars out of 5

York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby

New York has always been a city shrouded in mystery but there is no mystery greater than the York Cipher, a puzzle consisting of a series of clues left by...

Posted by on March 8, 2018

  • 2 stars out of 5

Insurgent by Robert Schwentke

The “simulations” that were so important to the first movie retain their relevance here, offering opportunities for approximately three additional and extra-trippy action scenes.  If action is what you want,...

Posted by on March 2, 2018

  • 4 stars out of 5

Fool by Christopher Moore

Fool is a funny, gossipy, irreverent, silly, irreverent, offbeat, high-drama – and did I mention, irreverent? – retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear, from the perspective of the court jester.

Posted by on February 21, 2018

  • 4 stars out of 5

One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale

It’s Earth, and it’s the future: aliens are hunting humans to harvest electricity, and destroying civilization in the process. At the accidental center of the conflict is Strata, a girl...

  • 4 stars out of 5

Recess Warriors: Hero is a Four-Letter Word by Marcus Emerson

When an outbreak of cooties threatens to turn the student body into a herd of zombies, Scrap and his friend Yoshi must act fast to save everyone. This action-packed adventure...

Hot Books December 2017!

Fiction Year One by Nora Roberts A mysterious ailment has decimated the globe. Half of the world’s population, gone in a matter of weeks. Government, law, order, all gone as...

  • 5 stars out of 5

Assassin’s Creed: Origins (PS4 and Xbox One) by Ubisoft

Longtime-fans and those new to the series are once again dazzled by the new Assassin’s Creed:Origins. Blending historical fiction with a sci-fi twist in the present time, players travel back...

Posted by on December 13, 2017

  • 5 stars out of 5

Mother Panic, Vol. 1: A Work in Progress by Jody Houser

Batman isn’t the only hero in Gotham, anymore. Violet Page is on the scene now and she’s not happy. A celebrity of every gossip magazine in Gotham, there’s something boiling...

Posted by on November 9, 2017

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

Mr. Wolf is tired of being a bad guy. With the help of his friends Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha, Mr. Wolf has come up with a plan...

Posted by on November 4, 2017

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Switch by Joseph Finder

The security line was in a tangle at the Los Angeles airport, so Michael Tanner was relieved when a TSA agent handed him his MacBook Air – or what he...

Hot Books for October 2017!

Fiction Origin by Dan Brown Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology and frequent saver of the world, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to hear a major...

Hot Books for September 2017!

Haunted by James Patterson & James O. Born Michael Bennett is ready for a break. A New York City detective by trade, he and his family escape to an idyllic...

  • 4 stars out of 5

Wired by Julie Garwood

Beautiful Allison Trent loves searching for the puzzles in her computer hacking. It’s all for the good, she rationalizes, as she finds the money trail of missing funds at a...

Posted by on September 7, 2017

  • 3 stars out of 5

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Jason is a college physics professor with a wife, and a 15 year old son. "Are you happy with your life" are the last words he hears before he wakes up...

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith

13 year old Jessamine can see people’s thoughts and speak to the dead. To learn about her newfound powers she is shipped off the live with a family friend, in...

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier

The monster apocalypse has begun in 13-year old Jack Sullivan’s town, and he is holed up in his tricked-out treehouse, protected by a moat and catapults. He’s resourceful and has...

  • 5 stars out of 5

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 1) by Alan Moore

Wilhelmina Murray has been tasked with an intriguing adventure. She is to find and recruit gentlemen of certain talents for espionage work for the British Empire, as per her superior,...

Posted by on July 5, 2017

  • 5 stars out of 5

Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki

Little Chihiro is moving to a new city with her parents. On the way the family takes a detour, and happens upon what appears to be a run-down, out-of-business amusement...

Posted by on May 29, 2017

  • 4 stars out of 5

Rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West

Rise of the Earth Dragon has a fast-paced plot with plenty of adventure to keep a newly independent reader interested.

  • 4 stars out of 5

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Laia, a member of a prominent Scholar family, helps her grandparents earn a meager living until her brother Darin is caught and arrested as a traitor of the Empire. Not...

Posted by on May 18, 2017

  • 4 stars out of 5

Flashback Four #1: The Lincoln Project by Dan Gutman

Part history lesson, and part time-travel adventure story, this book could appeal to Dan Gutman fans and also to children who loved the Magic Tree House books, but are ready...

  • 3 stars out of 5

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

When I found my husband at the bottom of the stairs, I tried to resuscitate him before I ever considered disposing of the body…I pretended to be weighing my options....

Posted by on March 22, 2017

  • 4 stars out of 5

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Dark matter is a fast-paced scifi thriller that riffs on the idea of multiple universes, exploring the unknown territory of choices not made and roads not taken. In this world,...

Posted by on March 20, 2017

  • 5 stars out of 5

Dishonored 2 by Bethesda

In the first Dishonored the queen is assassinated and her heir princess Emily is kidnapped. It is up to her right hand man Corvo a cunning and stealthy fighter to rescue...

Posted by on March 12, 2017

  • 5 stars out of 5

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

Though it is not for the faint of heart, [this story] is for readers who enjoy twisted characters, heaping spoonfuls of symbolism, and self reflection.

Posted by on February 9, 2017

  • 5 stars out of 5

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusader

Do you miss a Batman that had a sense of humor, a Batman who does not growl when he talks, or a Batman who knew how to obey traffic laws?...

Posted by on November 15, 2016

  • 2 stars out of 5

Cross Kill by James Patterson

Gary Soneji is dead. Or, at least, that’s what everyone thought. Alex Cross would know best, he was there when Soneji died. So when Soneji appears and shoots both Cross...

Posted by on November 14, 2016

  • 3 stars out of 5

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

I often like to try new authors to see how their stories come to life from the brief summary given in a book release or promotion. When I read Behind Closed...

Posted by on November 1, 2016

  • 4 stars out of 5

The Story Of Owen : Dragon Slayer Of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston

This is a truly original story with elements of adventure and fantasy, yet it is also so real. The relationships between the characters are authentic and deep. People are the...

Posted by on October 27, 2016

  • 3 stars out of 5

Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy Bastian

Cursed Pirate Girl is Jeremy Bastian’s one-man show—theatrical, meticulous, and more than a little intense. Every page is itself a work of art, together the wonderfully baroque product of a...

Posted by on July 21, 2013

Book Recs