Ollie the Owl loves being nestled in the hole in the tree that he lives in. While he looks out, he sees his friend Betty the Bunny, and she waves at him while she’s hopping around. He also sees his friends the bees, the squirrels, and some deer. He sees how each one of these animals has a purpose, and they love doing what they are meant to do. But Ollie isn’t sure what he should do. He has an idea that maybe he can start growing things, but he isn’t sure that’s the right fit for him.
All that Prickles the porcupine wants to do is relax in some peace and quiet so he can sleep. When his neighbor, Patty the puppy, comes along, she starts to dig like crazy near Prickles’ den. This makes him very mad. Patty doesn’t understand that Prickles sleeps during the day and at night he looks for food, unlike other animals. Prickles comes up with a few ways to scare Patty in hopes that she will stop digging in the dirt and leave for good. So he decides to curl into a tight, prickly ball and hopes that Patty will be so scared of him that she runs home.
Soiled Dove by April Timms is a short faith-based novel that centers on the life of Clara and her journey of resilience and survival as she becomes entangled in a dark and cruel world.
The Belgian Girls follow the lives of two Belgian ladies, Julienne and Gabrielle, in an alternating manner across different timelines. The former, Julienne, supported and fought for the citizens of Belgium under the tyrannical rule of the Germans during World War II. The latter, Gabrielle, fought for her country, Belgium, during World War I. Acting as a spy, Gabrielle worked to support, protect, and defend Belgium from her enemies.
This story begins in the Appalachian town of Bilbo. Priscilla Speaks, born into poverty and raised by an addicted mother, yearns for understanding of the world around her. From a young age, she realized she was different than her peers and struggled to make personal connections. Often bullied, she resorts to violence as a means of defending herself. At the age of 16, Priscilla finds herself on the Appalachian Trail on her own adventure.
During her weekly outing with her granddaughters, Melanie and Maiya, Ganey can’t wait to take them to the local zoo. Before they leave, the girls are doing some math homework. Ganey gets the great idea that she will reinforce their math training by doing a counting lesson of different things at the zoo. The girls and Ganey are excited to start their trip to the zoo.
The Belgian Girls tells two stories. The first chronological one is that of Gabrielle “Gaby” Petit, a barmaid in pre-WWI Belgium. Infuriated by the presence of German soldiers in her country, she organizes a spy network to pass information and defeat her country’s enemies. The second story is that of Julienne Gobert, newly arrived in Brussels with her widowed father. She hears the story of Gaby Petit and is inspired to also become a spy and Resistance fighter against the Nazis as they devour the country around her.
Nitasha is struggling and no one else can see it - not her Indian parents whose only wish is for her to be an obedient daughter nor her best friend Ava who seems to trust the new girl more than Nitasha. She doesn't fit in, whether at school where she's one of the only Indian kids or at home, where she knows she could never measure up to her perfect doctor brother. Alcohol dulls the knowledge that Nitasha is everything but enough, and eventually so does cutting. And all it takes is one viral video, one dark, lonely night for everything to go from bad to worse.
Fitting Indian is a YA Graphic novel written by Jyoti Chand and illustrated by Tara Anand. The story follows Nitasha, a teenage girl caught between two worlds, which are the traditional Indian values upheld by her family and the modern lifestyle of an American high school student. It seems like Nitasha has everything: a loving family, supportive friends, and academic success, but she silently battles against her inner demons. Her story gives a heartfelt look at what it’s like to grow up between different cultures, and how confusing and lonely it can sometimes feel.
Geri of Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin by Alia Luria is an adult non-fiction biography that follows 30-year-old law student Alia Luria as she experiences Japan in 2008 as foreigner. The book is written as a collection of essays on her experiences in chronological order with haiku poems and sketches interspaced throughout it. The first chapter covers her somewhat embarrassing bout of diarrhea (geri in Japanese) during her first night in Japan followed by a desperate search for a pharmacy and setting up her housing situation all while coping with her stomach upset.
