September 2026 New Books and Media

Are you wondering what's new on the shelves at the Commerce Township Community Library? We've got you covered! Here are some of the library's newest offerings. Take a peek, put something on hold, or stop in and grab it before it's gone! You'll find Adult, Teen, & Youth items listed below.

Adult Collection: Featured New Books

Fiction

All That is Left of Life by Roberta Recchia
It's a sultry August night when sixteen-year-old Betta Ansaldo convinces her cousin Miriam to sneak out to the local beach for a party. Only Miriam returns. Traumatized by the violence she's witnessed, she remains silent. The small community is riven with grief, none more so than the Ansaldos, who search for answers they cannot find. Who did Betta cross paths with on that fateful night? What was she doing there? And how could such a horrific crime happen in such a peaceful place?

As the years pass, and Betta's murder goes unsolved, the Ansaldo family fractures under the weight of their loss. When Miriam meets Leo, a sweet-natured young man with a dark past, their romance seems to turn her life around. But when Leo starts to pull loose the threads of Betta's story, determined to find out what really happened, his search for the truth risks unraveling everything.

American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
In schools and churches, hotel rooms and nail salons, law firms and fried-fish shops; in cramped, dingy apartments and luxury, gated communities, the men, women, and children in American Hagwon struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow less forgiving with each passing year. Once comfortably middle class in Korea, John and Helen Koh and their three children―Bo, DH, and Mido―find their lives upended, first by a shocking betrayal by John’s oldest friend, then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Desperately striving to regain their footing, they leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in Southern California―where new vistas of opportunity open up for the children as their parents, strangers in a strange land, must adjust to a new life in which their experience and education mean little, and they set their sights on whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures. The Kohs, their friends, relatives, and even their foes move in and out of each other’s lives as they navigate new courses across the years, always nursing the almost all-consuming faith that education will lead the next generation to success and security.

In American Hagwon, Min Jin Lee has crafted an unforgettable, panoramic novel where the smallest of gestures can have enormous repercussions, where the bonds of family and of memory twist and fray but rarely break, and where willful self-sacrifice―for the benefit of loved ones and even strangers―is a kind of prayer.

Awake Awake by Fiona Mozley
Mary has started remembering things that she knows aren't real--but the events feel exactly like her actual memories. Who is she, if she can't be sure she knows her own past? A writer in her 30s struggling to make rent, Mary has moved back to her childhood town to bartend and save money, when she starts remembering absurd events, clear and visceral as if they'd really happened to her. But she knows they're too wild to be possible. Flashing back to her school years, she searches the past for what could have caused this split in her reality. The lives of their close group of school friends have since diverged, as life choices and politics, partners and children, have taken them to different places and placed them into other stories. But Mary must reconnect with them to find solid ground again.

Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli
This story begins when a mother and her daughter take off on a trip. It is a summer of rapidly changing winds, volcanic rumbles, and sudden tempests. They've landed in Sicily, near the ancient ruins where the mother's grandmother worked long ago on an archaeological dig. The narrator's marriage has collapsed, her mother is losing her memory, and her daughter is on the threshold of adolescence, starting to ask difficult questions and form complex memories. How do you begin again? the narrator wonders, pondering her family line. How do you begin again if you got the beginning wrong?

While the mother tries to figure out how to reconstruct their lives as a duo--cooking meals side by side, reading out loud to each other, playing chess, bickering and making up--her daughter takes the reins of the story, and their journey soon becomes a quest for origins, not just to the familial past across continents, languages, and generations, but also farther back, to a mythical and even geological past.

Beginning Middle End evolves into a road novel of exquisite tenderness, spanning four generations of women. In their travels through Sicily, mother and daughter cross paths with the island's migrants, storekeepers, and elders, and also its volcanoes, its winds, and its waters. Weaving myths, ancient philosophy, and natural history with fleeting moments of contemporary life, the unforgettable characters in this novel take us on a journey across time, and confront some of life's primary questions: How do stories shape our children's memories and imagination? How do we situate ourselves deeply in the world while accepting our transience in it? How are a family's memories made and what happens when they disappear?

Crone by Keith Rosson
Eli Lamp is a broken man. An ex-detective, ex-addict, and long-grieving father whose daughter, Hannah, disappeared a decade before, Eli decimated his old life investigating her abduction and is now indebted to the Crooked Wheel, a local drug gang, as an enforcer. He lives in a rundown trailer at the edge of the woods, where he keeps Hannah’s room in pristine condition and tries to make it through one day at a time.

But when the son of the Crooked Wheel’s boss is found viciously murdered in a crime scene that doesn’t seem to add up, Eli receives a new order: Find out who the killer is and your debt to the Crooked Wheel is clear forever. You’re free. This pursuit brings him into the orbit of Avery Bryant, Hannah’s best friend and the last person to see her before she went missing. Soon, Eli and Avery are entwined in a hunt for answers that spans decades, stretches the realm of possibility, and brings churning to the surface a conspiracy linking not only these current tragedies but the buried sorrows of Eli’s past.

And though none of them dare say the word witch, at least not out loud, something lurks in the woods, bent-backed and black-eyed, clawed and vengeful, looming ever closer. . . .

Die Famous by Michael Koryta
On the day Savannah Cody spots her first gray hair, she decides it’s time to murder the father of her only child. Edward “Nickel” Terhune is the getaway driver for the Brady Gang, one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals―with an enticing bounty set on his head. Dragging her son, Alford, and her father, Wendell, a retired railroad detective, along for the quest, Savannah embarks to find the man she once loved and the nation now fears, journeying across an America transformed by the Great Depression. But Alford―and soon, the FBI―notice that the closer the family gets to Nickel, the less clear Savannah’s motivations seem to be.
 
As the Brady Gang races to escape the law―or get rich trying―Nickel realizes he might not be able to outrun his mistakes. He dreams of a route that will lead him to peace, but no map shows one like that. Will Savannah find him before the police do? And if so, who will return home alive?
 
Cleverly layered and emotionally taut, perfect for readers of The Lincoln Highway, The Frozen River, and The Alice Network, Die Famous follows a remarkable family as they race toward an impossible reunion―and asks us to consider where our own loyalties lie when ambition, devotion, and truth mean something different to each person telling the story.

Dodge City by Patrick deWitt
It’s 1967 in Los Angeles and Lee Clarke has received his draft notice, calling him up to fight in the Vietnam War. A straitlaced, apolitical twenty-three-year-old from Concrete, Washington, Lee is studying at UCLA until a fistfight leads to his expulsion—and his removal from the deferment list. The draft notice forces him to make the first political decision of his life, and though he’s happy in California and loves his girlfriend, he will leave the country and head for the border.

He signs up at a drive-away car-delivery service, chancing into a showroom-new Jaguar bound for the East Coast. Bringing only a single suitcase and a bag of amphetamines, he makes his stimulated progress against the width of the country, pining for the life he’s left behind and wondering what his decision will mean for his future.

But he is not just saying goodbye to the country of his birth. In four different towns strung out along the northern United States, Lee visits each member of his immediate family: his father, a World War II veteran in a state of degradation; his mother, engaged in a buoyantly manic and never-ending performance with her shut-in sibling; his heartbroken, misanthropic brother, Harry; and finally his twin sister, Grace, a brash, young nurse-in-training mired in romantic drama at a Manhattan psychiatric hospital.

An arresting portrait of a country in flux and a family in disarray, Dodge City represents a signal achievement in an already illustrious body of work by the “twenty-first-century Mark Twain” (Slate). Witty, moving, and delightfully off-kilter, Patrick deWitt’s sixth novel is a brilliant and raucous exploration of family, country, division, and war, from an elegant humorist who never shies from the stranger aspects of human behavior.

Dreamland by Olivie Blake
The headlines are calling it the "summer of exsanguination" in LA--girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season.

More pressing for Anya Morris, though, is the drudgery of living at home, working part time at the family store, and contending with her mother's disdain for the acting career Anya knows she's destined for but that feels more impossible by the day.

It's in this suffocating late summer heat that Anya receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an invitation to work for the de Witt family, one of LA's most influential film dynasties. Soon, she's spending her days and nights at their strange villa high in the Hollywood Hills, where she meets Jude, a recluse who is both the family's heir apparent and its most closely guarded secret.

There's a magnetism to Jude that Anya cannot resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. Because the villa holds generations of bloodstained history, and an occult family curse may even live within its walls--or within Jude himself.

In this city, everyone cuts a deal with the devil. When Anya comes face to face with a devil of her own, she'll learn just how far she's willing to go to get everything she's ever wanted.

Etna by Paul Yoon
Set in a fictional country in the present day, this is a story told through the eyes of an ex-military dog, Etna. After surviving years of a devastating war, Etna decides one night to leave the men he has fought alongside for years and return home--to the place where he was taken from when he was young, in the thin but persistent hope that if a home exists for him, it might be there.

Thus begins an exhilarating odyssey told through the eyes of a dog as he traverses across ruined landscapes and fights to survive in a world that, even in peacetime, proves to be just as precarious. Along the way, he encounters other animals and humans who are attempting to figure out how to start again. What makes a life when there is no home to go back to? How do we begin to trust each other again after such profound loss?

The French Innkeeper's Daughter by Diane C. McPhail
France, 1718: Three years after Louis XIV’s death, the country is still reeling from the Sun King’s costly wars and reckless extravagance. While ordinary citizens struggle to survive, the wealthy are able to purchase noble titles that grant them power and privilege. In the wrong hands, that power can be a terrible thing, as Azélie and her older sister Nicole discover when their family’s roadside inn becomes the property of a corrupt judge.

After a harrowing encounter with the judge’s loathsome son, Azélie’s only option is to flee. Then a chance meeting with highway robber Jules Charavany leads the two to make their way to Paris. Azélie launders clothes on the banks of the Seine while Jules finds work on the docks, and a friendship borne of necessity evolves into a deeper bond. But when Jules is wrongly arrested, Azélie finds herself caught up in a scheme to arrest young women on trumped-up charges and exile them to the struggling colonies along the Gulf Coast.

Chained aboard the ship La Mutine, a pregnant Azélie finds kinship with the other women during the perilous ocean crossing. The survivors will witness the birth of a new city, New Orleans. And though her new life will be rich in challenge and reward, Azélie’s ties to her homeland and her family will remain, echoing through the future in unpredictable ways, even centuries later.

A Game of Cat and Killer by Jiro Akagawa
Detective Yoshitaro Katayama is afraid of many things: heights, dark spaces, blood and ... women. When a young female student is found murdered, he's given two choices―review the harrowing crime-scene photographs or head to Hagoromo Women's College to investigate―and reluctantly opts for the latter.

But the threat escalates with additional murders, and soon Katayama has a different surprise on his hands: a calico cat named Holmes, orphaned when the dean himself falls victim.

Surely that's the last thing Katayama needs. Until Holmes begins to display some uncanny investigative instincts of her own ...

Level Up for Love by Leonora Woods
In college, Reagan Riley and Wesley Locke were constantly at each other’s throats, competing to be the best in their video game design program—until Wesley ghosts her after their unexpected hookup, severing their ties for good.

Six years later, Reagan has set aside her game design dreams, opting instead to stay close to her family in Connecticut and channel her creative energy into D&D. When her longstanding group falls apart, she and her sister join their local game store's new advanced campaign—only to find the demanding Dungeon Master at the helm is none other than Wesley. In the game, he is Vadrien, a merciless, power-hungry vampire lord, and Reagan is Sindra, the sword-wielding lady knight who will stop at nothing to cut him down.

When a game design opportunity opens up in the real world, Reagan and Wesley find themselves doubly pitted against each other. But as their buried spark reignites and Reagan starts to question why Wesley left all those years ago, can they find a way to play nice—and are they playing for more than just to win?

Mazywood by Due Tananarive
When Johnny—a filmmaker and grandson of the famous Black actress Mazelle Washington—brings his family to Mazywood, the secluded California mountain lodge left behind by his grandmother, he expects a quiet retreat. Instead, he uncovers a legacy of rage, secrets, and terror that has haunted his family for generations.

Set primarily in the present day, with haunting flashbacks to Hollywood’s Golden Age, Mazywood explores three generations while following Johnny as he pieces together the true story of his grandmother. As a young Black actress whose career spanned from the 1920s to the 1940s, Mazelle brushed shoulders with giants like Lena Horne, Clark Gable, and Hattie McDaniel. But beneath her public appearance, she carried a secret she had kept and nurtured since she was a child, when a dark wish came true and changed the course of her life forever.

Now, fifty years after Mazelle’s death, Johnny finds himself confronting the truth she buried—and the consequences she left behind. For a monster lurks outside Mazywood, hidden for generations, and Johnny brought his family to its hunting grounds.

Mia by Leslie Bazzett
When Sally, an American living in San Miguel de Allende, meets Louise outside her children's school, she's eager to immerse herself more deeply in the life of the city. In Mexico for just a year with her husband, an architect, Sally is entranced by Louise--her elegance, her harshness, her stories about Burroughs, Ginsberg, and Kerouac--and the two quickly become inseparable. Soon enough, Louise has begun calling her Mia and, at first playfully, then in earnest, introducing Sally as her daughter to a growing circle of friends.

By turns enthralled with the possibility of a new identity in Mexico and troubled by Louise's magnetic hold over her, Sally attempts to keep the relationship a secret from her husband. As the specter of Sally's troubled childhood looms, and Louise's self-mythologizing tightens its grip, the two women test the limits of reinvention--until their fictions threaten the security of Sally's flesh-and-blood family.

Plant Lady by Minyoung Kang
Tucked away in the corner of a neighborhood in Dosan, South Korea, is the Plant Shop. Shop owner Yoohee has started anew, and her meticulously grown foliage thrives under her tender care. To both her customers and herself, Plant Shop is a refuge, where petunias and marigolds bloom and the air itself is like an elixir of peace.

By day, Yoohee dispenses advice on gardening, but she also finds herself offering a special service off the clock. Women who are at their wits' end come to her about a man they hope might disappear from their lives. Pulling extra hours is taxing, but Yoohee has encountered--and dealt with--these kind of men in her own life, men who treated her (and her beloved plants) with utter disrespect. So as night falls, Yoohee trades her apron for a shovel and a hoe and disappears into her moonlit garden. There, she buries not just the remains of the day, but also the bloody remnants of a few unfortunate encounters.

As men begin to disappear...will anyone ever suspect the Plant Lady?

Queenie is Working on It by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie Jenkins is moving on up.

She’s thirty-three, the editorial director for The Good Sis, a thriving media network amplifying the voices of Black women—a far cry from her former toxic workplace. With a great platform and a renewed sense of purpose, she’s fighting the good fight.

So when an appointment for research goes haywire and reveals startling truths about her own fertility, Queenie is confronted with a racing biological clock when she’s not even sure she wants kids in the first place. She’s sort of seeing someone, but it’s not that serious (according to him), and her mom, grandma, and aunt Maggie all mean well, but they keep asking when she’s going to settle down.

Surrounded by loyal friends who seem to fall in love with their person and get pregnant at the drop of a hat and the reappearance of an old flame she never stopped loving while being pulled into a series of confusing “situationships” that really do NOT go anywhere means that for Queenie, time is running out in all parts of her life. She’s determined to do what she thinks is best to get back on track, no matter how many mistakes it takes to get this right.

Bigger. Not better. Older. Not wiser. The beloved and flawed Queenie Jenkins is scared, she is frustrated, she is confused...but she is working on it.

Silk and Sensibility by Mengxi Seeley
Two sisters with conflicting attitudes on passion and restraint must each choose between the traditions that bind their hearts and pursuing the love that could save them.

Nineteen-year-old Ailin is torn between duty and desire. Following her father’s death, her family must rely on the wealthy Jiang clan for financial survival. Though Ailin knows she must marry strategically to help her family, her heart has already been captured by the poor but gentle scholar Enze. When his family opposes their union, Ailin knows she must hide her feelings from everyone until she can strengthen her dowry and stand on her own terms.

Meilin encourages her older sister to fight for her personal desires, but Meilin’s romantic ideals conflict with Ailin’s devotion to duty. Meilin believes in being honest about one’s feelings regardless of what others may think, and she unabashedly pursues a charming playwright while also clashing with a frustratingly handsome but gruff army captain.

Each sister would do anything to help the other find happiness, but their assumptions about restraint and passion are as different as earth and sky. Ailin feels honor bound to her family yet is unable to deny her love for Enze, even as circumstances push them further apart, while Meilin grapples with unexpected feelings for Captain Bai and societal restrictions that leave little room for her own hopes.

Silk and Sensibility explores the delicate cultural expectations of womanhood in historical China by following two sisters who must learn to balance loyalty and longing, courage and constraint, to claim their own happiness.

Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty
It's 1949, early in the Cold War, but St. Petersburg, Florida is warm, lush, and booming with newcomers seeking sunshine and opportunity. For seventeen-year-old Nora, St. Pete feels like paradise, especially after she meets and wins over Leonard, the shy, brilliant son of transplanted New Yorkers. Nora and Leonard are soon spending balmy days and evenings together, and in her adoring, encouraging company, he grows more confident, even as he remains tender and caring. Leonard's sophisticated mother welcomes Nora into their lives, but his father distrusts her motives.

When his suspicions are seemingly confirmed, Nora is forced to cut contact. In her longing and fear, she takes a chance that changes her life, exiling her from the family she loves and setting off a chain of secrets and betrayals that will follow her into adulthood. It is a mature Nora who tells the story of her turbulent past. Wiser and more worldly, she commits to an honest but compassionate account, and to a future based on trusting, first and foremost, herself.

Switzy by Emma Cline
A private plane cuts through the winter night, somewhere over Greenland. David, a retired executive, sits back in his leather seat, playing solitaire on his phone. Click. Click. Drag. Click. The notebook in his jacket pocket is filled with familiar phrases, urgent reminders to himself, but he struggles to recognize his own handwriting.

A mystery, among many mysteries. The world, once so knowable, has been rendered inscrutable.

This is what David knows: Cody, his assistant, asleep in the seat next to him, will shepherd him along the voyage. A stopover in London. Dinner with his adult daughter. A meeting in France with an old friend, estranged for decades.

His final destination is Zurich.

David glides through hotel rooms and airports and foreign cities, running out the clock on his mortal life. His grasp on the present slips away, and the past rushes in: the Sunday roasts of childhood. The stiff clothes meant only for church. A summer at a school friend’s house. The losses and missteps that punctuate a life.

As David’s arrival in Zurich looms, an exquisitely rendered portrait of an unraveling mind emerges, both darkly humorous and profoundly moving. Hypnotic and startlingly original, Switzy probes the depths of human consciousness, revealing what a man is left with when the accomplishments and compromises that have defined him, and the illusions he's relied on, vanish.

Tempest by Victoria Aveyard
Cat Rose knows what it is to live in two worlds, in two times. Before—as Lady Catrine Rose of the Meridian Empire, chained to a loathsome lord with a dwindling fortune. And after—as the Widow Rose, queen of a pirate tavern in the Lyrian Sea, determined to be the master of her own fate.

But tides turn and winds change. The Meridian Empire looms on the horizon, the full weight of her navy falling on the Lyrian, bent on reclaiming the wealthy colonies and crushing the pirate republic once and for all. Ship after ship is captured, save for one, captained by a pirate who continually evades both noose and blade: the legendary Valerian Kane.

With his fearsome ship and uncanny connection to the song of the sea, Valerian is the only man who might rally the pirates who remain. The only man who threatens the Empire. And the only man Cat has ever loved, blazing in and out of her life like a star.

Desperate for victory, the Empire offers Cat a devastating choice: bring them Valerian or hang. In truth, no choice at all.

But Cat Rose is nothing if not a survivor.

A storm is rising on the Lyrian. What will it leave in its wake?

Unwavering Heart by Angela Hunt
When Rebekah is offered a marriage to Isaac--heir to wealthy and well-respected Abraham--she leaves behind the only world she has known and ventures into the sunbaked lands of Canaan. In her new household, Rebekah learns of the mysterious Adonai, whose favor has showered Abraham's family with abundance. To ensure her future children have a different childhood from hers, she makes a promise to God: If blessed with children, she will love all of them equally.

Twenty years later, her prayer is answered with twins who could not be more different. Gentle and thoughtful Jacob captures her heart, while wild Esau seems determined to defy her at every turn. As her sons grow into men, Rebekah finds herself torn between her promise and undeniable truths. Can she keep her love impartial even as she places her faith in God's covenant?

New York Times bestselling author Angela Hunt brings the world of the Old Testament matriarchs to life in this biblical fiction story of motherhood, love, and God's everlasting faithfulness. A perfect read for fans of Francine Rivers, Mesu Andrews, Heather Kaufman, Tessa Afshar, Connilyn Cossette, and Jill Eileen Smith.

 

Non-Fiction

American Crown by Stephanie Green
In this fresh and perspective-shifting narrative, American Crown is an absorbing blend of American history and royal biography that brings to life the past generations who will shape the Prince of Wales's role in the future of Britain, America and the world. For the first time, Britain will have a monarch whose ancestors fought against the very crown he bears.

It all goes back to the roots of Diana, Princess of Wales whose Spencer family has a friendship with the Washington clan of Sulgrave Manor that produced the founding father of America, but more fascinating is Diana's maternal side whose American ancestors fought in the Revolution in New England, became successful in the new nation, and then (like many Gilded Age families) sent a daughter across the ocean to marry into the British elite. Other Spencers on the British side had bucked social trends in the 1770s even raised funds for the American rebels themselves. Embodying more interconnected history than any of his predecessors, William's sense of his own role in the world is markedly different from anyone who's ever held the throne.

With sweeping locations from battlefields to Buckingham Palace and featuring grand personalities like Nathan Hale, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Winston Churchill, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, Stephanie Green's American Crown tells the story of a very new kind of royal family--one with the potential to bring two countries closer together in times of turmoil and bring the "special relationship" into next century.

The Butterfly Season by Lea Korsgaard
Combining nature writing, philosophy, myth, science, and sixty-four beautiful hand-drawn illustrations, The Butterfly Season is a luminous account of one woman's quest to see all sixty-four species of butterflies native to Denmark in a single year. Part field diary, part mythological tapestry, part existential reflection, Lea Korsgaard's journey unfolds across seasons and geographies, through meadows, marshes, and ancient coastal lands, as she discovers the mysteries and miracles of the natural world.

On the first day of the year, Korsgaard sat at her desk, making a list. It was a typically cold, quiet January day, and the possibility of the new year--of new discoveries and new challenges--reawakened an old dream of hers: to see every Danish butterfly species in one year. At first, the goal felt impossible--Korsgaard knew almost nothing about butterflies--but she persevered, creating a color-coded tracking system that mapped butterfly regions and flight times with meticulous care. As the project developed, what was at first a simple exercise in discovery became an intimate reckoning with transformation and rebirth, the butterfly's fleeting existence knitting together beginnings, endings, and the life made in between.

Cancel Me If You Can by Dave Portnoy
Dave Portnoy is a gambler. From his days playing Little League baseball, he has always bet on himself and his future, which is exactly how he built his digital media empire, Barstool Sports. It all started in 2004, when Dave wrote what he knew and passed out a four-page broadsheet newspaper all over Boston. The idea was simple but revolutionary: not everyone wanted their sports takes from SportsCenter anchors in suits. Fans wanted something local, raw, and unapologetic--written in the same language and tone you might hear at your local sports bar. So, Dave gave it to them.

More than twenty years later, Barstool has grown into a nine-figure company with over 300 employees and 150 active brands. But the story doesn't end there. Dave continues to expand Barstool and his personal brand, launching into the world of sports betting, giving honest pizza reviews, building generational media stars, and giving back to dog shelters and small businesses with the help of his own famous rescue dog, Miss Peaches.

Though he didn't set out to be a political lightning rod, it happened--and he's fully aware that half the internet hates him while the other half loves him. The truth? He doesn't care, as long as people take interest. He's always been brutally honest, and he always will be. Dave's journey hasn't been perfect. He's failed--publicly and personally--and he's constantly willing to risk it all. Why? Because he already knows what it's like to lose everything and start over, time and time again. So why not?

In Cancel Me If You Can, Dave lays it all out: the hard work, the timing, the luck, the poisonous relationships behind the curtain, and the balls it took to get to where he is today. This isn't a memoir or a business book--it's another bet on himself. But honestly, would you really want to bet against him? The odds are against it.

Carla Bakes by Carla Hall
For Carla Hall, baking is a creative outlet, her source of play, and her first true passion. But her journey from absolute beginner to Top Chef fan-favorite didn't start until she was well into her twenties with two careers-- accounting and modeling --already behind her. Away from home and missing the Southern flavors she grew up with, she took to the kitchen and began to experiment, master, and perfect.

Now, as a multi-cookbook author and guest judge on multiple baking competitions, Carla is ready to share all her baking knowledge that will guide you whether you're at novice baker or an expert one. Carla Bakes is filled with over 80 recipes for baking savory and sweet goods rooted in her Southern traditions and inspired by her world travels. Carla brings her joy and playfulness to every recipe, showing you just how much fun it is to bake and bring your own twists to new recipes.

Daylight Come by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro
Even three years after his death, Harry Belafonte is everywhere. You can't go to a wedding, or to a sports arena, without hearing "Day-O," "Jump in the Line," or "Jamaica Farewell." The Harlem-born son of Caribbean immigrants, Belafonte turned the folk music of the islands into American pop--and shaped the fantasy of Caribbean life that endures as an ideal and as a multibillion-dollar tourist industry. Belafonte released the first million-selling LP in history. He was America's first Black movie star, the first Black person to produce a prime-time special on network TV, and the first to win an Emmy Award. He was once the highest-paid Black performer of all time, beloved by Black and white fans alike, even under segregation. His artistic career helped create the pop culture of the twentieth century--and his political activism reshaped the course of American history.

In this sparkling new biography, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro brings Belafonte's personality and music vibrantly to life, following him from rags to riches and from Harlem to Jamaica to the March on Washington. Jelly-Schapiro takes us inside Belafonte's lifelong brotherhood with Sidney Poitier, his friendship with Fidel Castro, his collaboration with Nelson Mandela, and the sometimes shocking therapeutic relationships his difficult upbringing necessitated. At the heart of the story is Belafonte's bond with Martin Luther King Jr., whose cause Belafonte would champion for the rest of his life. That commitment to the greater good would sustain him and benefit untold numbers--and would come at a cost.

Empire of Ashes by James M. Scott
At 9:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, an American bomber pierced the skies over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The single bomb it dropped unleashed an atomic hurricane that toppled homes, vaporized birds in flight, and carbonized humans. Three days later, a second bomb flattened the port city of Nagasaki. In the span of a mere 75 hours, the United States--a nation once morally opposed to the bombing of civilians--killed 120,000 men, women, and children, dooming tens of thousands more to agonizing death in the weeks and months ahead.

Empire of Ashes explores the final brutal months of the war in the Pacific, featuring the voices of never-before-heard victims of the atomic bombs. Through interviews with survivors and accounts gleaned from Japanese sources, New York Times best-selling author James M. Scott combines the attacks' heart-wrenching details with their causes and consequences, from debates within the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, Oakridge, and Hanford to the fallout that would alter decades of life in Japan. Scott also delves into the political maneuvering in Washington and Tokyo between two seemingly unlikely leaders--President Harry S. Truman and Emperor Hirohito--that led to unprecedented violence and, eventually, surrender.

Scott grapples with questions that still haunt the detonation of the atomic bomb to this day: What justified the first and only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict? And how does a nation reconcile the pride of liberating millions, with its own unprecedented violence? With startling immediacy, Empire of Ashes illuminates the moral dilemma at the center of America's decision to inflict total war upon Japan.

Obstinate Daughters by Denise Kiernan
History has always celebrated the Founding Fathers--the sly but victorious tactics of Washington, the daring exploits of Lafayette, the grand ideas of Jefferson. Yet we rarely hear of the women who kept the colonies running and liberty alive. Obstinate Daughters finally rewrites the story of America's birth by revealing the courageous, resourceful women whose actions shaped a nation. From the battlefields to the printing press, from the plantations to the pulpit, these women fought, spied, published, preached, farmed, and organized. From the front lines to the home front, from the colonies to the frontier, these unsung heroines turned the tide.

In Obstinate Daughters, readers will meet women who armed themselves and took matters into their own hands to defend their town. A Cherokee leader who warned patriot settlements of looming attacks, risking the lives of her own people in the process. A British spy at the center of a plot to assassinate George Washington. Enslaved women who risked their lives while fighting a parallel battle for their own freedom, embodying the very ideals the revolution claimed to uphold. The only woman to have her name on the Declaration of Independence. And many more.

As she has done so many times before, Kiernan masterfully weaves these individual stories together into a single, compelling narrative, carving a place in history for these impactful women while also embarking on a road trip to many of the sites associated with her subjects and examining their place in our collective memory. With journalistic rigor and narrative flair, Kiernan reminds us that the past is always open to challenge, and that every untold story can inspire a new generation.

Plantyou: Quickies by Carleigh BodrugThirty minutes or less. Five-minute prep. Batch cooking. Dump-and-bake meals everyone will love. No matter how little time you have for the kitchen, Quickies has you covered with healthy, delicious meals.

PlantYou: Quickies is your go-to guide for fast, easy, plant-based cooking on days when you feel like doing anything but. Designed for real life and real schedules, Carleigh's recipes will help you get a fabulous meal on the table.

The Playbook by Joshua Robinson & Jonathan Clegg
The NFL is the toughest league in the world in which to build a winner—and it's not particularly close. Between the hard salary cap, constant rule changes, comprehensive revenue redistribution, and constraining player contracts, the league engineers parity with draconian efficiency. It punishes winners, elevates losers, and goes out of its way to prevent dynasties. By the laws of the NFL, this hard road to the top is a feature, not a bug.

And yet, in the face of these intense obstacles, some teams have learned how to thrive, year after year. How does this happen? What separates the champions from the Sunday-afternoon chaff? Talent on the field and on the sidelines helps, but as Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg reveal the modern NFL is not won through Xs and Os alone. Instead there is a new calculus of winning in the world's most lucrative sports league. The teams that triumph exploit a range of loopholes from contract strategy to draft savvy to proprietary metrics, finding ways to extract ruthless efficiencies from a system built to strip away every advantage.

Going inside the front offices and locker rooms of the most influential and forward-looking teams in today’s NFL—from the Eagles to the Ravens to the Rams—Robinson and Clegg show the franchises that are using the NFL’s rigid system to their own advantage, examining how they are drafting creatively, winning differently—and how the rest of league has yet to catch up. The result is a fascinating window into achieving success in the modern NFL and an unparalleled look at how the cunning it takes to win on the field starts in the most surprising of places.

This is Me by Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere's career in entertainment began before she was old enough to walk. From early commercials to film and television roles in hits like Remember the Titans, her career unfolded in the public eye, resulting in tremendous success by her early teens. She had become a fixture of early-2000s pop culture, earning acclaim for performances in Heroes, Nashville (which earned her two Golden Globe nominations), and beyond--while quietly carrying the weight of expectations that came with being Hollywood's "It girl."

Behind the image was a far more complicated reality. As Hayden entered adulthood, the industry that once felt playful grew unforgiving as she learned by experience the pressure placed on young performers, the hefty price that often comes with fame, and how quickly someone else can take control of your story. She recounts being scrutinized by tabloids, watching her body and private pain become public property, and performing storylines on-screen that echoed trauma she was living through off-camera.

In this memoir, Hayden shares a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss. She holds nothing back as she reflects on the moments she calls "lifequakes"-- experiences that fractured her sense of self and forced her to rebuild it from the inside out. In This Is Me: A Reckoning Hayden showcases her most vulnerable role yet...this is her story, on her terms.

What to Remember When You Are Forgetting by Dr. Zaldy Tan
What if a dementia diagnosis could be an invitation to live? What if the first phase of the disease could be a catalyst to embrace a long-forgotten dream? Or to finally resolve a festering family conflict? Or to make new friends and create new, cherished memories?

Renowned memory and Alzheimer's disease specialist, researcher, educator, and author Dr. Zaldy Tan, the Harvard-trained director of the Cedars-Sinai Memory and Healthy Aging Program, shares the definitive guide to thriving with dementia.

On these pages, you'll meet patients like Angela, who had worked as a singer in a Hollywood lounge before her children were born and dreamed of stardom. Instead, Angela put her dreams aside to raise her family. But after her diagnosis of early-onset dementia, instead of shutting down or continuing to prioritize others over herself, Angela embraced her career anew and traveled the country performing with a local singing group. You'll also meet Marcel, who considered Alzheimer's as a wake-up call to recalibrate his life priorities, and Mary-Louise, who didn't have family nearby to rely on but found an advocate in a new friend she met in a writing group.

With an incredibly thorough and deeply comforting approach, Dr. Tan tackles everything from how to have a conversation with a person experiencing early memory loss, to how to prepare for an initial assessment for Alzheimer's, and what accommodations and interventions are needed for every stage and type of dementia. He delves into the surprisingly hopeful research on new treatment and caregiving resources everyone should know, and reveals how other families and remarkable individuals he's treated over the years have handled both difficult challenges and incredible triumphs after diagnosis.

 

Graphic Novel

John Carpenter's Cathedral by John Carpenter
In the middle of downtown Los Angeles, an abandoned cathedral stands, fenced in and ignored by the world around it. The preoccupied passers-by have long since ceased to notice the dilapidated church in their midst, never mind sensing the danger and centuries old evil trapped inside its walls. A gruesome murder one late night pulls the structure into the spotlight, triggering a police investigation into the loss of one of their own. Lieutenant Christine Marks, along with detectives Paul Hernandez and Steve Mayfield, must enter the church in search of the monster that murdered her father. Every step takes them deeper into the belly of the church revealing the mystery of an ancient evil imprisoned within. For centuries, shamans, warriors and priests have fought a powerful demon, holding it to this piece of earth. Now it's trying to rise again, and these three must learn the secrets of those who've gone before them in order to find the demon and end the centuries long battle, once and for all. Their stamina, resolve and faith will all be tested and every small victory along the way brings them closer and closer to indescribable horrors only hinted at in myths and nightmares.

Knight City V. 1 by Matt Kindt
A legendary hero is caught between two worlds. By day, he soars as a symbol of hope, but the moment he falls asleep, he enters a universe devoid of heroes and he leads a mundane life. As the pressure of his dual universes mount, his heroic self begins to crack, pushing him toward a mental breakdown.

In a world that measures the loss of human life that occurs when he takes one night off, the weight of his responsibilities becomes too much. Ultimately, he's left with a choice: embrace his extraordinary abilities or seek solace in the ordinary.

Will he stand tall in a world that needs him, or find peace in a simpler existence?

Unsounded V.1 The Corpse with No Eyes by Ashley Cope
Some dead men tell tales. Some little girls have tails.

Daughter of the Lord of Thieves, Sette Frummagem is on a mission, and she'll lie, cheat, and steal to make sure it's a success (she'll lie, cheat, and steal anyway). Condemned to aid her in her rotten endeavor is a rotten corpse who seems oddly talented with the supernatural, and oddly not lying motionless in the dirt.

But the road is long, fraught with murderous villains, unimaginable beasts, and the indefatigable reaches of the law. On this quest, no one is what they seem; never trust a thief, and never trust anyone who won't let you look into his eyes.

Wrestle Heist by Kyle Starks
After being crippled by a shady wrestling promoter, a former pro wrestler gathers a team of others wronged in the ring to rob the promoter blind during the biggest wrestling event of the year! From the outrageous, action-packed mind of multi-time Eisner nominee KYLE STARKS (Peacemaker Tries Hard, Sexcastle, I Hate This Place), with eye-popping colors by VLADIMIR POPOV (Where Monsters Lie, Fearscape).

Teen Collection: Featured New Books

Teen Fiction

Alchemy of Souls by Adriana Mather
Grayson Stone is no stranger to deception. Under the watchful eye of his uncle, the High Chancellor, he has been well-trained in all four types of magic, all while secretly working against his uncle's corrupt rule. Years of plans depend on him being marked Gifted during his University entrance exam, proving that he is the perfect heir and gaining his uncle's trust. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned, and he has only one person to blame: Eloise Belrose.

Raised by a family of Laborers, Eloise is the most unlikely student to become a Mage, but through her hard work and long hours spent practicing she is finally admitted to the prestigious University of Magical Arts, guaranteeing safety and security for her whole family. Until things go very wrong, and she somehow becomes magically linked to Grayson Stone, the school's arrogant, annoyingly attractive, golden boy, putting not only her University acceptance, but also her and her family's lives at risk.

Eloise and Grayson are given less than two weeks to solve an impossible mystery--one that will give the High Chancellor even more power and control--or face the consequences. Forced to room together, with all the same classes, while pretending to date to hide their secret quest, sparks definitely fly. As their feelings grow more real it becomes harder to live the lies they've had to tell to survive. With time running out, will they be able to trust the bond between them or will their lies tear them apart forever?

The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald
When Princess Cassandra's patron god, Apollo, offers her the gift of prophecy--and all the power that comes with it--she jumps at the opportunity. But when she fails to uphold her end of the agreement, her prophecy becomes doomed. No one believes her visions of an alluring, lonely girl who is going to start a war.

Helen fled Sparta in pursuit of love, though it's proving more elusive than she'd hoped. Far from home and surrounded by strangers, Helen's beauty and intelligence are no match for the politics of the Trojan court, especially when one princess with fiery amber eyes is determined to be rid of her.

When war finally strikes, fate brings Cassandra and Helen together in ways not even the gods could have foretold. Together they will change their destinies or be the ruin of all that they love.

But how can they change their futures when following their hearts means defying the gods themselves?

The Gods Will Sing Our Song by Autumn Krause
1942. War rumbles across the world, gods stir in the wind, and two star-crossed souls are set on a path that will change them forever.

Seventeen-year-old Ren Hamada is defined by his troubled past, while Violet Aratani only worries about keeping her straight-A grades. They have little in common beyond the old magic that thrums in their family relics--until the US government forces them out of their homes simply because they're Japanese American. In a barbed-wire world where everything seems upside down, the magnetic pull between them is the only thing that makes sense.

But there's more than just desert dust swirling in the air. A god walks among them, his mortal form tethered to the camp, and only Violet and Ren can free him--an act that would earn them an immeasurable reward. Yet with tensions rising and their lives on the line, is even a divine favor enough to save them?

Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray
Vesper Evans has always resented Basalton's high society, and the sorcery that provides them with a luxurious life unimaginable to most. Orphaned as a child and rescued by the editor of The Basalton Globe, Vesper is now an ambitious reporter determined to keep her newspaper afloat.

While covering a lavish society gala, Vesper happens upon a shocking scene: the murdered body of a man she had spoken with just minutes before. Several of the powerful magical elite may want the man dead, but the prime suspect is wealthy industrialist Maximilian Kite.

Max soon makes Vesper a tempting offer: Find the culprit and restore his reputation in exchange for a substantial fee. Despite her distaste for Max's world, Vesper agrees--the money would save the Globe, and the story would be the scoop of a lifetime. There's only one catch: In order for her to infiltrate society, the two must pose as a courting couple.

Their investigation takes them from the highest echelons of privilege to the seediest backstreets of Basalton. As they unearth the city's secrets and scandals, Vesper finds herself in grave danger--while falling for one of the most infuriating, arrogant, handsome men she has ever met . . .

My Own Kind of Person by Tim Manley
Sean O'Brien copes with anxiety by being the funny guy--at school, in his relationships, and onstage at local open mics. But when his stand-up act starts feeling like a performance of someone he's not, everything changes. As Sean struggles with awkward girlfriend encounters and rising panic, he meets Elijah, a new guy with quiet confidence and an honesty Sean has never allowed himself. Suddenly, Sean's life, his comedy, and his self-awareness come into sharper focus.

With wit and emotional depth, My Own Kind of Person explores the courage it takes to speak your truth--even when your voice shakes.

Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass
Mara is a horror buff whose only fond memories of her dad are bonding over movies by Jack Stanley-- the producer of the eighties. Stanley's campy slasher movies may have kept Mara's fraught parental relationship on life support and gained a cult following, but the man himself has faded from the public eye...until he announces a contest centered around Asylum, his most terrifying film. Five teen influencers will be invited to spend the night on the fully constructed set; whoever sticks it out until morning wins a hundred thousand dollars.

Stuck in a dead-end job, Mara seriously needs that cash. She may not be a famous influencer, but there has to be a way to manufacture an online presence that will capture Stanley's attention. With the help of her brother and best friend, Mara finds some creative solutions to her dilemma and lands herself onto the roster of the lucky chosen few by way of her engaging authenticity.

When Mara and the other contestants arrive on set, it's a horror fan's dream being immersed in the asylum setting, but as the night wears on, they realize the danger is more than movie magic... They're not there to win or lose but to live or die. As Mara fights to survive, she discovers an inner ruthlessness she didn't know she had. Just how far will she go to see the sunrise--and will she still recognize herself by the end?

A Season for Falling by Kate O' Shaughnessy
Five years ago, Claire was a child star, the goofy punchline of one of America's favorite sitcoms. Until a series of devastating betrayals by her manager-father left her broke, humiliated, and desperate to disappear.

Now she's just another high school senior in postcard-perfect Glenridge, Connecticut, determined to leave her past behind. Not even her best friend knows who she used to be--or that she's scraping together every spare dollar to hopefully attend NYU.

When a movie shoot lands in Glenridge--and with it, her former co-star and ex-best friend, Luke Cordova--it threatens to stir up not only Claire's past, but also the dizzying crush she once had on Luke. He offers Claire a deal: let him shadow her to research his role, and he'll pay enough to make her college dreams possible.

As the woodsmoke-tinged October air grows colder, and she falls for Luke (again), Claire must confront what really drove her to hide--and whether she can step back into herself without being consumed by everything she's tried to forget.

Teen Non-Fiction

An Astonishing Circle by Maria Parrott-Ryna
In 1628, anatomist and physician William Harvey made a controversial claim: that blood circulated continuously through the body, pumping from the heart through the blood vessels into the tissues and then returning to the heart. His research contradicted many anatomy "experts" of the time. In the seventeenth century, European physicians did not go against the ancient Greek and Roman thinkers who'd created the foundations of Western medicine. But what if those foundations were wrong?

This is the story of how humans came to understand the circulatory system. And Harvey's work is only one part of that story. Discover the breakthroughs of scientists and scholars who dared to think outside the box, from Ibn al-Nafis, an Arab Muslim scholar who discovered pulmonary circulation; to Marcello Malpighi, who studied capillaries; to Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, who figured out oxygen's role; and beyond!

Black Legacy by William Loren-Katz
From the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in New Amsterdam in 1609 to the Harlem Renaissance to the impact of #BLM, here is a concise and newly updated history of Black Americans in New York for readers 12 and up. Black Legacy reasserts the essential work of teacher and historian William Loren Katz, who was committed to documenting and uplifting the stories of Black Americans' courage and creativity, resilience and rebellion, especially for younger readers. A new introduction gives context to Katz's "full tableau of Black accomplishments and aspirations," and a new chapter brings the book up to the present day, considering the changing economic, cultural and political influences on Black New Yorkers. 

Snake Day by Marty Crump
Does a snake crossing your path trigger delight or dread? The answer is clear for celebrated biologist Marty Crump, who shows us that snakes deserve our respect, admiration, and protection. In her short book Snake Day, each chapter introduces a single snake during a single hour, highlighting twenty-four different species from around the globe.

In the dark morning of a Brazilian forest, we avoid stepping on a jararaca, a nocturnal viper. If she bites, her venom will make our blood pressure--and us--drop. A synthetic version of this venom is now a lifesaving drug, used to treat hypertension and heart failure. Later in the morning, in the Zagros Mountains that trace Iran's northwest border, what appears to be a tiny arachnid wiggles on the ground. When a hungry warbler approaches for a meal, realizes too late that the spider is actually a snake's tail, and an Iranian spider-tailed viper makes a meal of the bird. In the early afternoon, in a pine forest outside Atlanta, Georgia, an eastern hognose snake strikes at us--a bluff--and then rolls over and plays dead. By the end of our snake day, we'll have glimpsed the diversity of this unique group of reptiles, met serpentine friends who frighten and fascinate, and learned how humans can protect these amazing species.

For each hour, celebrated artist Stuart Patience has depicted serpentine scenes in stunning pen-and-ink drawings. Working together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Crump and Patience have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two--and a true gift for amateur scientists or anyone who recoils at or relishes the sight of a snake.

Zine Making and Book-Binding by Lauren Simkin Berke
Channel your passions into zines, create your own notebooks and calendars, and try your hand at impressive pop-up and accordion books. This illustrated guide will empower you to share your ideas with the world in personalized, handcrafted packages. Whether you want to create a poetry chapbook, an illustrated ode to the people on your commute, or a map of your dreams, this book will help you leap from an idea to a physical object. You'll learn the lingo and where to find materials, but most importantly, you'll be ready to experiment and have fun. If you're an artist seeking a new medium or are just beginning your creative journey, this book welcomes you to level up your DIY, join a community of makers and thinkers, and discover the power of zines and handbound books. Start now and watch your creative confidence grow and thrive!

Teen Graphic Novel

Across the Widest Sea by Jean Cremers
Abandoned in the middle of the ocean by her parents to learn to fend for herself, Léonie must find dry land. She meets Balthazar, a teenager whose canoe is taking on water, and Agathe, who lets herself be carried by the current and no longer has any hope of landing. They join forces to find a shore. A metaphorical story about the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Frostbite by Ian Boothby & Pia Guerra
Teen influencers Jen and Dante post wild videos of themselves doing extreme sports. But when they jump out of a helicopter to ski down a mountain, the stunt goes way wrong. Dante's ankle gets slashed, and the helicopter crew -- who were supposed to be waiting at the bottom of the mountain -- are nowhere to be found. As the confused teens seek answers from some locals, they all find themselves flesh-to-fang, trapped in an isolated cabin surrounded by frost vampires!

Their only hope for survival is to make it to sunrise...

Soulmates by David Wilson
Kit is the golden boy of his small town. Captain of the football team, perfect grades, perfect relationship, perfect everything. But when his childhood best friend, Emma, mysteriously returns to town, Kit's life is thrown into turmoil.

She's the only one who knows what happened that day he fell at the cliffs--and why he woke up alone on the shore. She's also the only one who may know the truth about the strange visions he's been having--and why the people he sees in them are turning up dead.

As Kit and Emma reconnect and rekindle the past, Kit's forced to admit that things aren't as perfect as they seem. And Emma. . . well, she isn't what she seems either. Her family's been hiding a secret for generations and with Death looming over all of them, the truth can't stay buried forever.

Witch's Inheritance by Paige Hender
Edie Birch needs an escape from her crumbling life. When a death in the family leaves Edie the inheritor of a strange, towering house in the small town of Hart Creek, she doesn't look back.

While she tries to connect with her estranged aunt and learn more about her mysterious family history, she uncovers a shocking truth: She comes from a long line of witches. The heir to her grandmother's powers, Edie is Hart Creek's only hope to keep away the beasts lurking at the forest's edge. As she struggles to master her magic, she'll enlist the help of local folklore nerd Leander and discovers secrets that will leave her questioning who the true monsters are . . .

Juvenile Collection: Featured New Books

Juvenile Chapter Books & Early Chapter Books

Charlotte the Rose Dragon by Maddy Mara
The Flower Dragons are called to return to the Magic Forest, which could only mean one thing... the Magic Forest is in trouble. Charlotte and her friends, Selena and Layla, will have to use their special powers to defeat the Fury Queen.

Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson
Savannah, Georgia, with its mossy trees and ornate old homes, is a place rich in history...and ghosts. Ghosts are what pique Harmony Roundtree's interest. Still reeling from her losses back home, Harmony wants to believe in ghost stories...but isn't sure what's real. When she goes on one of the many ghost tours around town, she takes a photo of what might be a ghost. Or is it a hoax?

With two new friends, Harmony sets out to investigate... and stumbles upon clues leading to an unsolved murder. The deeper she digs, the more Harmony realizes that what she saw on the ghost tour might be connected to a shocking crime. But making connections can be dangerous--even more dangerous than ghosts.

Kiki and the New Magic by Eiko Kadono
It has been a year since Kiki started her new life as an honest-to-goodness witch, and the--not quite so--little courier has become a real celebrity.

But fame comes with its own set of challenges. As Kiki faces increasingly perilous tasks, her friendships with Jiji and Tombo are put to the test. Doubts creep in, leading her to question her purpose.

Determined to overcome her fears, Kiki must summon all her courage and perhaps even explore a new kind of magic. Will she find the strength to navigate her evolving world?

The Neverfear by Katherine Rundell
It's the Midsummer Feast on the islet of Glimt, and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone's lips is bandits. Reports of masked men wreaking havoc are spreading throughout the Archipelago.

Christopher and Anya have faced danger before; they think they are prepared for this threat--until they are ambushed and someone very close to them is kidnapped.

Their frantic quest to pay the ransom will take them on a wild journey across Glimouria. Together they must face giants, duel with pirates, and race against deadly karkadanns.

But just when they think they might succeed, there will come the most Herculean task of all . . .

Shook by Julian Randall
Malik Page--though unless you're his mama, call him "Shake"--dreams of making the Marshall Grove varsity basketball squad as an eighth grader. Then he'll be on his way to joining the ranks of Chicago legends like his pops and late Uncle Kenny. But when Shake fractures his ankle in a championship game, he's sidelined for the first time since his first dribble.

As his world is turned upside down, Shake feels like there's ginger ale bubbling in his chest and sweat slicking on his palms. With a best friend who's getting more distant by the day, a growing silence between him and his dad, and varsity tryouts fast approaching, Shake will have to cross up every obstacle to find a way back onto the court--and back to being himself. Thankfully in Marshall Grove, the sky is always full of hope.

Yarn is Everything! by Aaron Reynolds
Winona has one true love, and that is crocheting. She loves it more than anything, to the point where her father took her to the Museum of Woolen Arts and Yarn Stitchery for her ninth birthday. But she may have gotten more than she bargained for when an unexpected souvenir changes her life forever. With a talent that seems to grow overnight, she earns a spot on the hottest show on television, Yarn is Everything!. She might just earn the title of Ultimate Yarn Master crocheter of all time...but at what price?

Because nothing comes for free, and in this creepy tale you better be careful that your fabric obsessions don't become... everything.

Juvenile Non-Fiction

Alice Wong : Disability Activist by Alice Wong
In this book, early fluent readers will learn how Alice Wong used her voice to advocate for people with disabilities and how she helped fight for disability-friendly accommodations and policies.

Animals and Their Toilet Rituals by Ine de Volder
Did you know that cow farts can heat a house? And that sloths relieve themselves only once a week? Did you know that pandas sometimes do a handstand while peeing? And that bucks use their own urine as a perfume? Are you aware that rabbits eat their own droppings? Discover smelly facts about animal turds and cow farts in this surprising book.

Astronaut by Phoenix Bright
Our budding astronaut discovers their fascination with space at a young age and the spark is born! Readers see that it takes lots of hard work, curiosity, and determination to achieve their dream. Follow along as our astronaut conducts experiments, maintains machinery, and even goes for a spacewalk! Including an interview with a real-life astronaut, this picture book answers all the questions children have about becoming an astronaut.

Buzz!: Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects by Tony Buzzeo
Do you feel scared when you're outside hear that BUZZZZZ? Don't be! With this handy guide, learn everything you need to know about bees and other pollinators.

In simple, accessible language, author New York Times best-selling author Toni Buzzeo describes how kids can be safe around stinging insects. Learn how to remain calm when you meet a bee and what to do if you get stung. Discover how to watch the pollinators in your backyard safely and why they are so important to things kids love, like their favorite foods.

Perfect for the kid who needs some help gaining confidence outdoors and for the young explorers who can't stay out of the bushes.

Cheesy Noms by M. M. Eboch
Simple cheesy recipes for tweens and teens inspire kids to experiment in the kitchen. Features easy-to-follow recipes for cheesy snacks and meals, step-by-step instructions, safety tips, a glossary, and party-hosting tips. Perfect for budding chefs!

U.S. Constitution by Josephine Larsen
In this book, early fluent readers will learn how the U.S. Constitution was written, what the seven Articles in the document say, how the Constitution is amended, and how it guides our government today. Readers will get an engaging and factual overview of this historical document, including context on how it came into existence, what it says, and its lasting impact on the United States.

 

Juvenile Graphic Novel

Boss of the Underworld by Tor Freeman
Shirley didn't mean to fall down the manhole. Actually, she didn't fall . . . Something dragged her down into the abyss. But now, before she could even collect her thoughts, she is forced to save an entire subterranean society of misfits from the evil clutches of a big baddie known as "The Boss."

Shirley and her new giant cockroach friend George must triumph over scary foes, resist eating delicious things in the sketchy forest, navigate the Bog of Intense Emotions, and find their way through the dark maze of the sewers.

And little does Shirley know that she has a history with the Boss of the Underworld. Will Shirley and George be able to conquer this quest, or will they be left swimming with the fishes?

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Colleen Af Venable
Today is Junie B.'s first day of school. But Junie B. does not want to ride the school bus home. It smells on the bus. Plus also, what if there are meanies on the bus who might pour chocolate milk on your head? What if Junie B.'s so scared of the bus that when it's time to go home she doesn't?

Midsummer Sisters by Niki Smith
Kenzie and Quinn aren't just stepsisters -- they're best friends. They're spending the summer with their grandmother, kayaking in the marshy coastal islands she calls home. The Outer Banks are also home to a herd of wild ponies, and the girls fall in love with a fragile newborn foal that they name Starling.

But even blue skies and sandy beaches can't distract from what's going on back home. Things between their parents aren't the way they used to be, and the constant fights have left Kenzie and Quinn anxious and confused. They can't remember a time when they weren't a family. If their parents divorce and Quinn and her mom move away, will they even still be sisters . . . or will they be nothing?

As their world shifts around them, the girls swear to do the one thing they can: keep Starling safe.

Sol Goes for Goal by Kayla Miller
Twelve-year-old Sol is a great friend, a model student, a beloved daughter and a star soccer player. At least that's what everyone always expects of her. But when the soccer team captain Lily walks by, Sol starts to lose focus. What's with this heart fluttering feeling she has around Lily?! And how can she stay the star player--the star everything--that people see her as if she can barely remember her name (much less how to play soccer) around Lily? Is Sol destined to let everyone down, including herself? Or can she figure out how to be the Sol she wants to be...on and off the field

Juvenile Early Readers

Clydeo Makes a Friend by Jennifer Aniston
Clydeo wants to be friends with his new neighbor, Max. But what is the recipe for making new friends? Find out alongside Clydeo in this fun-filled Level 1 I Can Read book by global superstar Jennifer Aniston.

Cub and Bat by Will Hillenbrand
When Cub sees a swarm of buzzing bees, he can't bee-lieve his luck! Cub loves honey . . . and he'll do anything to get it. He gets a big bin. He gets a big box. He climbs on top. But when his plan to take the honey goes sideways, his best friend Bat comes up with an even more satisfying solution: just say please and ask nicely!

Friends Forever by Melissa Lagonegro
Woody is missing and it's up to Buzz and the rest of the Toy Story team to find him. Follow the amazing journey to reunite the friends in this Step 2 Step into Reading leveled reader.

I Want to Be a Farmer by Laura Driscoll
Visit the State Fair with Dad and his daughter, and get to know all the different kinds of farmers along the way in this Level 1 I Can Read My Community book ideal for early readers learning to sound out words and sentences.

Juvenile Picture Books

The Duck Can't Sleep by E. B. White
Long past bedtime, two creatures sleeplessly wander around and around the reservoir in New York's Central Park. What woes and wonders keep them awake so late?

The Fantastic Floating Mr. Finnegan by Rebecca Gugger
When Finnegan was born, he could float-fantastic! He gleefully floats his way through childhood, until questions and concerns from friends and neighbors eventually weigh him down. Then one day, a little girl floats by him and inspires Mr. Finnegan to find out if he can still reach the clouds.

Flyer McTire by Beth Ferry
Flyer McTire is at home on the racetrack. He zooms, he revs, he speeds--and he never gets tired. But when one day he's fired and sent to the dump, he starts to feel that maybe there's no place for him anymore. That is, until he has a chance encounter with a young boy. It's no racetrack but, maybe there's a better, more important job waiting for him and his best race is still to be won!

Harlow the Highland Cow Doesn't Know How to Moo by Brooke Hartman
Meet Harlow! Harlow the cow is a cute little cow, a dear highland cow who has oodles of WOW! She can dance and sing. She knows numbers and of course, she loves to eat. She can do it all except moo! What to do?!

Here Come the Grandmas by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Whether a grandma is mom's mom or dad's mom, a great-grandma, a foster grandma, or an honorary grandma, grandmothers bring a special kind of love wherever they go. Grandmas tell stories, teach skills, and make memories, and no community is complete without their helpful hands, loving presence, and good humor.

I Really Want to See An Elephant by Brianne Farley
Have you ever wanted to see something so badly that you see it everywhere? For one little mouse, it's a matter of seeing elephants--in the form of a sleepy cat, a shiny toaster, even an extra-large ice cream sundae with a cherry on top. There are so many things that look like elephants but aren't elephants at all. So the key is to keep looking, because who knows what might happen when you really see what you've been looking for? With sly wit, visual sleight of hand, and a fun final twist, Brianne Farley's take on the creative process will keep young readers looking--and looking again.

Lila Makes a Monster by Laurie Elmquist
In this humorous picture book, Lila discovers a way to bring her imagination to life by creating something--or someone--out of scrap crafting materials she has collected. But as antics ensue, Lila finds that her creation truly has a mind of its own and is quickly becoming a real-life monster.

Media Collection: Featured New Items

DVD and Blu-ray

Landman, Season Two
In Season Two, as oil rises from the Earth, so do secrets - and Tommy Norris's (Billy Bob Thornton) breaking point may be closer than he realizes. Facing mourning pressure from M-Tex Oil, Cami Miller (Demi Moore), and the shadow of his kin, survival in West Texas isn't noble - it's brutal. And sooner or later something's got to break.

Outlander, Season Eight
In the final season of this sweeping historical drama, Frank’s book places Jamie’s possible death at Kings Mountain directly in front of the family. Jamie has spent his entire life accepting danger as the price of protecting other people. Now he knows there may be a specific place where that instinct finally kills him.

Scary Movie
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer, Shorty, Ray, Cindy and Brenda find themselves targeted by another mad slasher.

Supergirl
When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.

Young Washington
In the rugged wilderness of colonial America, young George Washington finds himself deep in enemy territory, navigating lies, shifting alliances, and the violent collision of empires. When the orders fall apart, and the shots are fired, Washington must decide who to trust and how far he's willing to go, not for glory, but for the leader he must become.

 

Juvenile DVD and Blu-ray

Minions and Monsters
This is the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world and then banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created.

Toy Story 5
The toys are back in Disney and Pixar's 'Toy Story 5,' and this time it's Toy meets Tech. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad, a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?

Video Games

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Strike fear in your foes as you board and sink enemy vessels as Edward Kenway, captain of the Jackdaw. Whether blending into crowds or leading daring assaults, switch between silent takedowns and fierce brawls as you effortlessly wield swords, pistols, and the Hidden Blade. With a cast of historical pirate legends at your side, defy empires amidst the age-old conflict opposing Assassins and Templars.

Halo Campaign Evolved
Experience the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign rebuilt with high‑definition visuals, updated cinematics, refined controls, and a brand‑new three‑mission adventure.

Snow Bros. Wonderland
Winter is coming. Snow Bros. is back in this brand-new adventure by Tatsujin! So, what are you waiting for? Let’s grab some friends and dive into the snowy fun!

Splatoon Raiders
Splat scores of enemies and hunt for treasure in a single-player focused action shooter.