The Last Invention by Diane Lilli is foremost a story about sisters and their nearly unbreakable bond. Amanda and Emily have an enviable sisterhood, a bond like steel, forged by their indomitable mother. Their lives are very different, but their bond remains. Amanda is a successful businesswoman, married, and has a son. Emily was a successful athlete and has a joyful life. All is well until tragedy strikes. Heavy grief changes both sisters; that grief becomes an opportunity for one sister and makes the other vulnerable. Bonds between sisters can be broken—by death.
Rebecca is a preteen girl who is obsessed with ghosts and lives with her mother in Chicago, IL. Her mother gets an invite to spend the summer with her family in Iowa so she can catch up on work and let Rebecca get to know family she never had the chance to know. Rebecca, who is not thrilled about the idea of spending a summer away from her best friend, reluctantly accompanies her mother on a summer family vacation. Since the passing of her father, Rebecca is only allowed to talk about her father with her mother once a year, which is the anniversary of his death.
Thin Air is Kellie M. Parker’s debut novel. It is a thriller about teens on a plane competing for a scholarship. This scholarship would give the winner four years at an Ivy League school, community service experience, and a mentorship. All 12 contestants are flying on a double decker plane to Paris. The competition begins on the plane, and when they get to Paris, two people will be eliminated. But every contestant is hiding something, especially Emily.
Tag-a-long, or Tag for short, has never known anything except the inside of her home and the good-natured fun of her older sisters surrounding her, until one day when the dreaded winds come and take away her sisters. The youngers, or children, are not allowed to go outside, and Tag watches as her sisters break the rules and decide to go outside only to then become windswept to who knows where. For several years after her sisters disappear, Tag tries to put the pieces together about what really happened to them.
Pet is a great older sister and an obedient daughter who loves her close-knit family, but the minute she gets a camera from her grandmother her family's life suddenly changes, and not for the better. When her father falls from a ladder and is seriously injured after Pet asks him to smile for a photo, he becomes hopeless and the family fears his injuries will prevent him from ever working at his trade again. Pet's father is a woodcarver and without the ability to carve his art that leaves Pet's mother to work double shifts at the local diner to try to feed the family.
Pirate Pearl and her parrot, Petunia, have spent months at sea. Finally, they have had enough of their boring hardtack biscuits to eat. Pearl and Petunia set out on a journey for something fresh and new to fill their bellies. When they meet Farmer Fay, they are really in for a treat—potatoes! After a few lessons in farming, Pearl and Petunia say goodbye to their new matey and set sail once again, this time with bags full of delicious treasure and a friendship to hold dear.
The book Bees Are Our Friends, written by Toni D'Alia and illustrated by Alice Lindstrom, tells the delightful tale of a happy, little bee and her extraordinary day-to-day experience. Within the confines of her beehive, this happy bee embarks on a remarkable journey. From visiting flowers to spreading pollen dust, she embraces her crucial role as a pollinator, helping the growth of plants and flowers. With this special power, the bee's impact becomes truly important and awesome. Curious to know more?
Moving to New York City after a painful breakup seems like the best plan of action for Emily Brown in Miss Brown’s Christmas by author Robert A. Valle. Besides having a new place to live in one of the busiest of cities, Emily takes a librarian position at New York Public Library and loves what she does. She knows this is what she wants for now, and in time, hopefully everything else will find a resolution for her. But it’s Christmastime, and she has no plans for the holiday because she’s staying away from her parents who live in Pennsylvania.
Rising like a phoenix out of adversity is the hope of Dahlia, an artistic college student who struggles with negative self-doubt and suicidal ideation. The book follows her through some of the more transformational moments in her young adult life, as well as through the viewpoint of family members closest to her. Dahlia struggles with letting her therapist and others into her thoughts, memories, and negative self-doubt. Throughout Dahlia's young adult to adult experiences, she finds comfort in writing, much like the author of this book, C.A. Nicholas.
Author and main character, Teja Harper, recounts her family’s adventure at the Aquarium. Teja enters the vivid illustration of the St. Louis Aquarium. Scenes of wonder and discovery abound as Teja visits interesting fish such as Red Garra, nibbling shrimp, and clown fish. Conversations with Teja’s brother, mother, and father slowly add atmosphere to the picture book as Teja views splashing otters, various turtles, and jellyfish.
