By KENDRA SITTON | Downtown & Uptown News
Last week, April 19-25, was National Library Week where people celebrate the great work libraries do in their communities to further literacy. While libraries are currently closed to the public, San Diego County Libraries and San Diego City Libraries have many resources online through the Libby app and Cloud Library. Both library systems are currently letting people apply for digital library cards during the pandemic so residents can access these online resources from laptops, phones, tablets and other devices.
Even though librarians cannot make book recommendations in person right now, we checked in with them to find out what the community should be reading right now.
Children’s Picture Book (Age 4-8)
“Who Wet my Pants?” by Bob Shea and Zachariah Ohora
On a camping trip, a bear who would never admit to having a bathroom accident accuses his animal friends of wetting his pants. Thankfully, the bear’s understanding camping companions accept him — accidents and all.
Submitted by Karen E. Reilly, Branch Manager, Mission Valley Branch Library
Middle Grade Novels (ages 8-12)
“Lalani of the Distant Sea” by Erin Entrada Kelly
This cinematic novel feels like both a traditional folktale and contemporary story of resilience as Lalani–a smart, fatherless girl on a remote island– struggles to save her village and her people from sickness and despair. Filled with magic, treacherous villains, and a difficult journey, “Lalani of the Distant Sea” will have young readers longing for an island of their own.
Submitted by Karen E. Reilly, Branch Manager, Mission Valley Branch Library
“Taran Wanderer” by Lloyd Alexander
Taran, the assistant pig-keeper who wants to be a hero, goes questing for knowledge of his parentage, hoping that his journey will ennoble him in the eyes of Eilonwy, the princess with the red-gold hair. Accompanied by several loyal friends, Taran begins his search when three wily enchantresses of the Marshes of Morva send him to consult the Mirror of Llunet for the answers he is seeking, cryptically promising that ”the finding takes no more than the looking.” During his adventures he meets Craddoc, the shepherd, and the common people of Prydain, whom he comes to respect and admire. With their help, he continues his mission to learn the secret of the Mirror and the truth about himself.
Submitted by Jennifer Geran, Branch Manager, City Heights/Weingart Library
Young Adult
“Wilder Girls” by Rory Power
Promoted as a thrilling YA page-turner, this book is a timely read for anyone who’s also been binge watching pandemic-themed shows on Netflix. Wilder Girls is about an all-girls boarding school that devolves into quarantined chaos after an unknown disease called “the Tox” rips through the school causing many painful mutations in the girls (i.e. gills, glowing hair, hands with scales). The main themes in the novel are the bonds of love and friendship between the protagonists, and the idea that waiting for someone to save you might not always be the best idea.
Submitted by Sandy Chase, Youth Services Librarian, North Park Branch
“Unwind” by Neal Shuster-
man
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would ”unwind” them. Connor’s parents want to be rid of him because he’s a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev’s unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family’s strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. In “Unwind,” Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers’ ideas about life — not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.
Submitted by Jennifer Geran, Branch Manager, City Heights/Weingart Library
“Call Down the Hawk,” by Maggie Stiefvater
This turbulent and haunting novel focuses on three brothers — Declan, Ronan, and Matthew Lynch — and their intricate family of secrets. The middle brother, Ronan, is a dreamer — a young man with the incredible talent of pulling things from his dreams and turning them into realities. Meanwhile, a mysterious group prophecies that these dreamers will bring about the end of the world and secretly begins to hunt them. A large cast of characters and epic plot make this novel impossible to put down.
Submitted by Karen E. Reilly, Branch Manager, Mission Valley Branch Library
Adult
“Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi
Gyasi takes a critical look at the participation of West African tribes during the 19th century slave trade and follows that impact through the descendants of half-sisters Esi and Effia; two women with vastly different life experiences. I feel like this is one of those novels, rooted in our tragic history, that everyone should read.
Submitted by Sandy Chase, Youth Services Librarian, North Park Branch
“Girl Waits With Gun” by Amy Stewart
Constance Kopp and her sisters are oddities in their 1914 New Jersey community: unmarried, managing their own farm, and trying to avoid entanglements with their neighbors. But when a wealthy local bully tries to extort money from them, Constance comes into her own, learning to fire a gun and ultimately getting work as a then unheard-of “lady cop.”
Submitted by Karen E. Reilly, Branch Manager, Mission Valley Branch Library
“My Man Jeeves” by P.G. Wodehouse
Who can forget our beloved gentleman’s personal gentleman, Jeeves, whoever comes to the rescue when the hapless Bertie Wooster falls into trouble. “My Man Jeeves” is sure to please anyone with a taste for pithy buffoonery, moronic misunderstandings, gaffes, and aristocratic slapstick.
Submitted by Jennifer Geran, Branch Manager, City Heights/Weingart Library
“Simple Organizing Wisdom: 500+ Quick and Easy Clutter Cures” by Good Housekeeping
This book has many welcome no-cost tips for purging, straightening and storing your belongings, so that your home goes from chaotic stress-maker to visually peaceful oasis.
Submitted by Karen E. Reilly, Branch Manager, Mission Valley Branch Library
