Our Staff Recommends
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No One Is Alone
From bestselling author Rachel Vincent comes a gripping and heartfelt story about a girl faced with a shocking revelation when her mom dies and she's forced to move in with her father's “real” family.
Michaela is a junior in high school, living with her single mom. Her dad lives a few towns away and she only sees him on holidays and birthdays. They barely know each other, but Michaela is so close with her mom that she's never minded.
That is, until her mom dies suddenly, and Michaela has to move in with her dad . . . who reveals he's been married with kids all this time and she's the product of an affair. Before she can even grieve her mother, Michaela is thrust into a strange house with a stepmom and three half siblings. Including her new sister Emery, who is less than thrilled at the prospect of sharing her room. Especially when they both try out for the school musical and Emery's theater star ex-boyfriend suddenly seems interested in Michaela.
Can Michaela find a way to make a home with a family who didn't ask for her in the first place? -
Seekers of the Aweto: The Hunt Is On
Xinyue, his brother Qiliu, and their mother are seekers, hunting aweto--a rare, plantlike treasure--along the legendary Silk Road. After one outing, Xinyue discovers the offspring of a deity that creates aweto--and becomes the little creature's reluctant caretaker. He soon struggles to keep it safe and keep it a secret. And that's before he learns that warriors from the deity's village are on his family's tail...
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Polar Bear Café: Collector's Edition Vol. 1
The charming slice-of-life manga about a café run by a polar bear that inspired the beloved anime!
Polar Bear has a penchant for puns and runs a serene café frequented by humans and animals alike. Regulars include a panda who has a part-time job being a panda at the local zoo, his keeper (who has a crush on the café’s waitress), and a pretentious penguin. Join the colorful clientele through the seasons in this comforting and humorous manga about daily specials, romantic complications, and quirky workplaces, a tale that inspired a 50-episode anime adaptation. This 4-volume edition of the complete manga series–in English for the first time–will include bonus color content! -
Breath of the Giant
"The Giants live in the Lost Territories of the North, atop the mountains. The Ones who find their way there will, by killing one of these beasts, collect his breath and pass it on to a lifeless body. Against the Gods' will, the deceased will then come back to life. Sisters Iris and Sophia are determined to find one of these Giants. They lost their mother too soon and put all their hopes in this quest. But the journey ahead of them will bring way more than they were bargaining for. Can magic ease their pain and reunite them with their dearly departed parent? Get ready for an emotional tale of epic proportions from writer and artist Tom Aureille."--Back cover.
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This Promise of Change
Recipient of a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor
Winner of the 2019 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction
A NYPL Top Ten of 2019
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearIn 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton Twelve themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann--clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students---found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring backmatter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process.
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Warhead
An often hilarious and always relevant memoir about one teen boy's battle with brain cancer and his Starlight Children's Foundation wish: to meet Mikhail Gorbachev in Russia and plead for nuclear disarmament and world peace.
It's 1986, and Jeff is an average fifteen-year-old: he thinks a lot about dating, he bounces around with his friends, and he's trying his hardest to get a car. Conversely, the world around him feels crazy: the United States and the Soviet Union are at glaring odds, with their leaders in a standoff, and that awful word, "nuclear," is on everyone's mind. Then, boom--Jeff learns that he has brain cancer and it's likely terminal. Well, that puts a damper on his summer plans and romantic prospects, doesn't it?
Jeff's family rallies around him, but they are fiercely complicated--especially Jeff's father, a man who can't say "I love you" even during the worst of Jeff's treatment. So when the Starlight Children's Foundation offers to grant Jeff a wish, he makes one certain to earn his father's respect: he asks to travel to Moscow and meet with Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss nuclear disarmament and ending the Cold War. Nothing like achieving world peace to impress a distant father, right? Jeff has always been one to aim high.
Jeff's story is dark, but it's also funny, romantic, and surprising. As his life swings from incredibly ordinary to absolutely incredible, he grapples with the big questions of mortality, war, love, hope, and miracles.
"A sweet but unsentimental account of a truly fascinating nuclear childhood. Henigson had me at 'Gorbachev.'" --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Little Failure and Lake Success
"It's a tale well-told--always gripping, often heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting." --Booklist -
Vincent and Theo
Printz Honor Book • YALSA Nonfiction Award Winner • Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner • SCBWI Golden Kite Winner • Cybils Senior High Nonfiction Award Winner
From the author of National Book Award finalist Charles and Emma comes an incredible story of brotherly love.
The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers' lives. Confidant, champion, sympathizer, friend—Theo supported Vincent as he struggled to find his path in life. They shared everything, swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions. Meticulously researched, drawing on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, Deborah Heiligman weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the extraordinary love of the Van Gogh brothers. -
Little Thieves
"Gorgeous prose, delicious magic." - V.E. Schwab
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
Kids' Indie Next Pick
Amazon Best Book
A scrappy maid must outsmart both palace nobles and Low Gods in a new YA fantasy by Margaret Owen, author of the Merciful Crow series.
Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl...
Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother’s love—and she’s on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja’s otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back... by stealing Gisele’s life for herself.
The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.
Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele’s sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja’s tail, she’ll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life.
Margaret Owen, author of The Merciful Crow series, crafts a delightfully irreverent retelling of “The Goose Girl” about stolen lives, thorny truths, and the wicked girls at the heart of both. -
The Inheritance Games
OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES!
Don't miss this New York Times bestselling "impossible to put down" (Buzzfeed) novel with deadly stakes, thrilling twists, and juicy secrets -- perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
** Avery's story continues in The Hawthorne Legacy and The Final Gambit
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Ambition will fuel him.Competition will drive him.But power has its price.
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
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Small Favors
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically-acclaimed author of House of Salt and Sorrows comes a mesmerizing and chilling fairy-talesque novel about Ellerie Downing, a young woman in a small town with monsters lurking in the trees and dark desires hidden in the shadows—in Amity Falls, nothing is more dangerous than a wish come true.
"Unique, enchanting, and haunting."—Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of the Cursebreaker series
“Sweet, dark, and complex as wildflower honey.”—Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
“Small Favors is an eerie fairytale that I couldn’t put down.”—Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching
Ellerie Downing is waiting for something to happen. Life in isolated Amity Falls, surrounded by an impenetrable forest, has a predictable sameness. Her days are filled with tending to her family's beehives, chasing after her sisters, and dreaming of bigger things while her twin, Samuel, is free to roam as he wishes.
Early town settlers fought off monstrous creatures in the woods, and whispers that the creatures still exist keep the Downings and their neighbors from venturing too far. When some townsfolk go missing on a trip to fetch supplies, a heavy unease settles over the Falls.
Strange activities begin to plague the town, and as the seasons change, it's clear that something is terribly wrong. The creatures are real, and they're offering to fulfill the residents' deepest desires, however grand, for just a small favor. These seemingly trifling demands, however, hide sinister intentions. Soon Ellerie finds herself in a race against time to stop Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves from going up in flames. -
Daisy Darker
*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
"Alice Feeney is great with TWISTS and TURNS." —Harlan Coben
The NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of Rock Paper Scissors returns with a locked-room mystery when a family reunion leads to murder in a delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller, as seen on the TODAY show.
“A dysfunctional family meets Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with a truly gasp-inducing twist. This is the book you've been looking for.” —Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of 56 Days
Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. Now after years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in her crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.
But at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows...
Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide goes out and all is revealed. As seen on the TODAY show and picked by Book of the Month, Daisy Darker's family secrets and Alice Feeney's trademark shocking twists will keep readers riveted. -
The Carnival at Bray
It's 1993, and Generation X pulses to the beat of Kurt Cobain and the grunge movement. Sixteen-year-old Maggie Lynch is uprooted from big-city Chicago to a windswept town on the Irish Sea. Surviving on care packages of Spin magazine and Twizzlers from her rocker uncle Kevin, she wonders if she'll ever find her place in this new world. When first love and sudden death simultaneously strike, a naive but determined Maggie embarks on a forbidden pilgrimage that will take her to a seedy part of Dublin and on to a life- altering night in Rome to fulfill a dying wish. Through it all, Maggie discovers an untapped inner strength to do the most difficult but rewarding thing of all, live. The Carnival at Bray is an evocative ode to the Smells Like Teen Spirit Generation and a heartfelt exploration of tragedy, first love, and the transformative power of music. The book won the 2014 Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize.
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Skin of the Sea
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The must-read Black mermaid fantasy series that #1 NYT bestselling author Nicola Yoon calls “epic and original,” in which one mermaid takes on the gods themselves. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and anyone who can't wait for the live-action The Little Mermaid.
“Riveting.” —NPR
“Evocative.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Remarkable.” —Buzzfeed
A way to survive.
A way to serve.
A way to save.
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable—she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There's the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she fails, she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it. -
Bull
Much like Lin-Manuel Miranda did in Hamilton, the New York Times best-selling author David Elliott turns a classic on its head in form and approach, updating the timeless story of Theseus and the Minotaur. A rough, rowdy, and darkly comedic young adult retelling in verse, which NPR called "beautifully clever," Bull will have readers reevaluating one of mythology's most infamous monsters.
SEE THE STORY OF THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR
IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT
Minos thought he could
Pull a fast one
On me,
Poseidon
God of the Sea
But I'm the last one
On whom you
Should try such a thing.
The nerve of that guy.
The balls. The audacity.
I AM THE OCEAN
I got capacity
Depths Darkness Delphic power
So his sweet little plan
Went big-time sour
And his wife had a son
Born with horns and a muzzle
Who ended up
In an underground puzzle.
What is it with you mortals?
You just can't seem to learn:
If you play with fire, babies,
You're gonna get burned.
Explore the Wild
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The Mystery of Eels
Though much of the natural world is discovered and understood, a few great mysteries remain. Consider the eel: snakelike, slimy, with a row of jagged teeth. Aside from these fearsome qualities, we know little about its life - where it goes, what it does and how it dies. Hailed by poets as the "siren of the North Sea" and "love's arrow on earth," this shadowy creature has fascinated researchers for centuries. Now James Prosek, artist, writer and eminent naturalist, takes on the mystery of the eel, shedding light on the animal and the strange behavior it inspires in those who seek to know it. -from the PBS Store website
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Planet Ant
Ants are builders of extraordinary and complex societies. The program takes viewers inside a million strong ant colony, housed in a specially constructed glass nest, that shows the inner workings of this most mysterious society, in a way never seen before. The latest filming techniques reveal in vivid detail the behaviour of individual ants, from queens to workers and soldiers, while radio frequency identification tagging builds up a unique picture of how they achieve such feats.
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Natural Born Rebels
Thieving macaques using psychology to pull off scams. Delinquent cockatoos vandalizing urban residences. Swaggering peacocks lying about their sexual exploits. These are nature's greatest rebels, succeeding by breaking all the rules. Despite how it appears on the surface, researchers are discovering the complex and fascinating science behind why these animals behave the way they do.
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The Gathering Swarms: Bats, Butterflies, and More
A look at some of the planet's great gatherings, creatures that come together in inconceivable numbers, sometimes in millions, billions, and even trillions. Some gather to breed, migrate, for protection, or simply to keep warm. But in the process, a kind of super-organism is created in which individual intelligence is superseded by a collective consciousness that shares information and moves with a single purpose for the benefit of all.
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Animal Misfits: Odd, Bizarre and Unlikely
Alongside the fastest, strongest, smartest animals are nature's misfits, odd, bizarre and unlikely creatures that seem ill-equipped for survival. Somehow they manage to cling to life and in some cases even thrive. Revealing some surprising details about how evolution really works, demonstrating that all animals are remarkably well-adapted to their chosen way of life.
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Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves
The grizzly bear and the wolf are the two dominant predators of Yellowstone Park, who contend with each other for control of the food supply.
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SuperNature Wild Flyers: the Design of Gravity-Defying Animals
The sky is a challenging place to live, but extraordinary animals do something we only dream of ¿́¿ take to the air. Some spend their lives airborne, others only visit, but they all have one thing in common: they only survive by taking to the skies. This three-part series reveals the incredible adaptations that explain how these animals have mastered the sky and why they all need it to survive.
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The Blue Planet : Seas of Life, Tidal Seas/Coasts
The Blue Planet: Seas of Life reveals the sea and its communities at their most fearsome and alluring.
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Life on the Reef: the Blue Frontier Where Man Meets Wild
Over the course of a year, it follows those who live in one of the most extraordinary places on the planet, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, where man meets wild and nature calls the shots. It's high stakes and high drama across our greatest marine wilderness.
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Life on fire: Wildlife on the Volcano’s Edge
Life on Fire: Volcanos offers a close-up look at volcanoes and the effects on the environment around them. From the depths of the abyss to the high-altitude snow-capped peaks, the series paints a detailed picture of the struggles and amazing adaptation required by animals and plants to survive around volcanoes.
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Eclipse Over America
Looks at the history and current research in eclipse science as the first total solar eclipse to traverse the U.S. mainland in ninety-nine years is observed.
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Forces of Nature
Take a global tour in four themed episodes, answering the simplest questions about the complex forces that shape our planet. Why is water blue? How can a shape defy gravity? Why do bees make hexagonal honeycombs? And how do these things affect our own lives? Discover what lies beneath Earth's startling beauty as we reveal the secrets of our cosmos and the natural forces that govern everything within it.
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Earth's Natural Wonders: Life at the Extremes
Earth's Natural Wonders are parts of the natural world that nature has carved on an almost unbelievable scale, from vast mountain ranges to impenetrable rainforests and dazzling tropical islands, where nature is visible at its most primal, most powerful, and most extraordinarily beautiful. For human beings, survival within these wonders can pose extraordinary challenges.
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Earth's Natural Wonders: Living on the Edge
Explores the most extraordinary places on the planet and how their environments shape the lives of those who live there. From Mount Everest's Khumbu Icefall to the Amazon to the Grand Canyon, visit six continents to learn how these natural wonders evolved and hear the rarely told stories about the challenges their inhabitants face.
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Gorongosa Park
Experience the incredible rebirth of an African wilderness through the eyes of American-born, African-raised cameraman Bob Poole. He spends two years living in the million-acre paradise of Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, joining scientists and conservationists in the battle to restore the fabric of life in the park after a long civil war in one of the most ambitious wilderness restoration projects ever attempted.
Library Closed
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Accompanying Adults
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop-offs will not be permitted.
Acknowledgement
This event is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding provided by the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Accompanying Adults
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop-offs will not be permitted.
Acknowledgement
This event is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding provided by the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.
Gentle Yoga
Join us for an hour of gentle yoga. Please bring your own yoga mat or bath towel, as well as a yoga block for your practice. Space is limited and registration is required.
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Acknowledgement
This event is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding provided by the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Acknowledgement
This event is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding provided by the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.
Summer Reading Begins!
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Acknowledgement
This event is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding provided by the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.
Disclaimer(s)
Acknowledgement
This event is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding provided by the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Accompanying Adults
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop-offs will not be permitted.
Acknowledgement
This event is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding provided by the Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.