WCLS Collection Development Librarian Mary Kinser interviews Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, author of Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town and The Smell of Other People’s Houses. And we welcome “America’s Librarian” Nancy Pearl, winner of the National Book Foundation’s 2021 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. Part one of this interview brings a surprise guest to chat … Read more
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson Set in the redwood forests of Northern California near the Oregon border, Ash Davidson’s impressive debut novel, Damnation Spring, tells the story of a logging family and community clinging to a vanishing way of life. Davidson sets her story during the late 1970s, when the National Park Service is expanding, taking … Read more
In this incredible, illustrated retelling of the Cruella story, we get insight into her childhood. A childhood that was full of emotional neglect and abuse, all from her mother. Growing up, her mother was highly materialistic. This caused Cruella to believe that the only way people could show love was by giving and getting gifts. … Read more
Insiders by Mark Oshiro The Insiders tells the story of three kids who don’t belong. They find and connect with each other through a secret room that shouldn’t exist. They all help each other with each of their problems in a magical school year that will change their lives forever.As a teen, I don’t read … Read more
Whilst on a trip in 1997, Christophe Andre, a Doctors Without Borders administrator, was kidnapped in the middle of the night and held hostage. He was chained to a radiator, given only a simple mattress, and dinner once a day. Requesting the answers to his countless questions; “What do they want me for?”, “Where am … Read more
Joy, an inspiring film composer, is not happy when her family decides to move to a tiny apartment. Then, she finds out about “The Hideout”, a secret hang-out spot that only the kids in the apartment know about. That’s where she starts communicating with someone who seems to be struggling, until the mystery writer stops … Read more
Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte 14 year old Mary Lambert lives in Martha’s Vineyard, a island made up of a largely deaf community-including herself. While recovering from being kidnapped and experimented on, she receives a letter from a location on the mainland near where she was kept while she was kidnapped. The letter … Read more
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen When Bryce first moved into the neighborhood, he met Juli, the neighbor girl who quickly fell in love with him. While Juli was chasing after her boy, Bryce was running away. Things took some twists and turns as they grew older. It is a story about youth and growth, love … Read more
The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill If you’re looking for the perfect cottagecore graphic novel series, The Dragon Tea Society is for you! In a world of dragons and people, tea dragons are small domestic dragons that produce special tea leaves. They require specialized care and lots of love, but if you care for … Read more
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons This book is such a heartwarming romance. When Spencer starts at a new school, he is afraid that everyone will know that he’s trans. Taking a risk, and going against his parents wishes, he joins the boy’s soccer team. When a discriminatory law forces Spencer’s coach to bench him … Read more