The Public Library of Brookline

Fiction

• With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo.  Olivene Love gets tangled up in a murder mystery when her traveling preacher family arrives in the small town of Binder, Arkansas in 1957.  A great historical fiction read with an adventurous, strong and likeable main character.
• Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams.  Jaide and Jack Shield’s lives are changing in a very strange way.  The weather itself is turning against them, and a mysterious explosion has just destroyed their house…from the inside.  When these twins are sent to live with a grandmother they’ve never met things get even weirder.  A classic good versus evil battle that’s all action.  A great read for those of you who don’t like to.
• City of Lies by Lian Tanner.  Book two of the Keepers Trilogy keeps the thrills coming!  Twelve year-old Goldie, impulsive and bold, relies on her skills as a liar and a thief to try to rescue her captured friends from the child-stealers running rampant in the City of Spoke.  A fun read with strong characters.  Book one is Museum of Thieves.
• The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer.  Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Siviano meet at the Youth Scrabble Tournament where, although each has a different reason for attending and for needing to win, they realize that something more important is at stake than the grand prize.  Delightful storytelling with great characters that form lifelong friendships.

Nonfiction

• Duped!: the stories of the world’s best swindlers. by Andreas Schroeder.  Easy to read nonfiction about some of the world’s biggest swindles.  Learn about the Tasaday people, a stone-age tribe undiscovered until 1971, and Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds, a fake alien invasion that terrified millions of people.  Short chapters and high interest, this is a great read that will have you learning a few things too. J364.1 Sch
• Nature Adventures by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom.  A nature adventure can happen anywhere, any time!  This handbook and diary is a treasure trove of information, observations and activites about our outside world.  It will encourage you to explore the beauty and diversity found in the natural world. J508 Man
• Talk, Talk Squawk! by Nicola Davies.  Humans aren’t the only creatures who are constantly communicating: animals find all sorts of ways to keep in touch without saying a word.  This fascinating little book unlocks the mysteries of how animals talk, and squawk, to one another. J591.5 Dav
• 1862, Fredericksburg: a new look at a bitter civil war battle by K. M. Kostyal.  When the North and South fought in a bloody Civil War, many people - even whole towns - were caught up in the bitter conflict.  Fredericksburg was a thriving port town in Virginia at the crossroads of the Civil War.  It changed hands from Confederate to Yankee control and ultimately became the setting for pitched battles in the streets, and its citizens, their lives upended, saw their homes shelled and their sons turned soldier.  A fascinating look at one town throughout the Civil War.  J973.7 Kos