Moo by Sharon Creech

Reena and her brother, Luke, have only known city life.  However, when their parents decide to move one day and they ask “Where to?”, and Reena says Maine (she is glad she didn’t say Antarctica), they pack up everything and move to a small town in Maine!  While trying to figure out this new town, her parents “volunteer” Reena and Luke to help an elderly woman, Mrs. Falala.  She wants them to work with Zora, a cow, to show at the local fair.  The kids soon realize farm animals are smarter than they seem!  This quick moving novel is written in poetry and prose.

The Man He Never Was by James L. Rubart

I was captured by the story line. A man wakes up in a motel and find out it's eight months later. Where has he been? He has no recollection. So begins the story of a football player who wrestles with an anger problem. He has a wife and two children. He is fit, but his career is in jeopardy. This was enough to keep me interested. A story of transformation and failure, of re-evaluation and starting again. Will he change his behavior and turn his life around? Read and see.

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

This book is the first in a three part series that you won't be able to put down! The first installment introduces us to Mr. Lemoncello, an eccentric man who has made his fortune in the gaming business.  Lemoncello finances a brand new spectacular library in his hometown and allows 12 students to earn a chance to  partake in a "lock-in" and explore this new magical place.  Kyle Keeley, a huge gamer, puzzle master and not a big fan of reading writes one of the winning essays and joins the others for an adventure of a lifetime.  There was one problem...the doors of the library remained locked when the lock-in was over.  The students discover there are codes and puzzles to solve if they want to escape the library.  Alliances are made and broken along the way, while Kyle and his partners try to match wits and solve the riddles.  This story has it all!  If your child likes gaming, solving puzzles and riddles, breaking codes and face paced adventures, this series is a winner.  It has an escape room feel with shades of Willy Wonka.  It would be a great story to read aloud with your child or stand alone.  It would also appeal to 3rd-7th grade readers.  Also in the series are Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics and Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race. 

The Fighters by C.J. Chivers

C.J. Chivers is a former soldier and a war correspondent with many hours on the front lines in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The experiences he had with the men and women on the ground and in the air are chronicled here in The Fighters. The book is filled with amazing first-hand accounts of fighting the insurgency from 2001 through 2013.
Chivers follows both soldiers and airmen through their varying experiences. Some come home physically uninjured. Several return scarred and missing limbs. Some pay the ultimate sacrifice and return home to grieving friends and family. Chivers follows the soldiers lives from enlistment through their final days on the line and beyond.
The Fighters can be joyous, frustrating, gory, depressing and uplifting from page to page; just how the lives of these soldiers were lived on the front lines and after their return home. The opinions expressed and the encounters detailed all come those who lived their days fighting and patrolling in a hostile environment.
Chivers has written a book that pulls no punches. It is a very gritty, very real look at modern combat and the modern military mission. At the same time it leaves you heartbroken for those who faced some terrible situations, and very proud of these same soldiers.
Whether you have friends or family serving overseas or not, The Fighters is the type of book every American should read. Dare I say it should even be required reading? Though it may not seem like it at home here in the United States, we are fighting wars across the globe and our soldiers are dying. Here is a chance to gain a better understanding of what our soldiers are going through by reading Chivers' work.

The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver

Set in Europe during the 1930s, The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver is the 4th book in the Amory Ames Mystery series. Husband-wife amateur sleuthing duo, Milo and Amory Ames, receive an urgent request from Milo’s childhood nanny to investigate the suspicious death of famous Paris perfumier Helios Belanger. Everyone in this story seems to have a motive, including each of Belanger’s three children and his pretty young wife, but was he murdered? This is the question that Milo and Amory must work quickly to answer without drawing too much attention to themselves. The Essence of Malice is an easy read with an entertaining plot that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I thoroughly enjoyed "Becoming".  Michelle Obama tells her story, from her childhood on Chicago's southside to her college and working years, to her family's time in the White House.  I especially enjoyed her stories about Barack's proposal, the White House petting zoo, and riding with Queen Elizabeth in a car.  I appreciated learning more about the pitfalls and successes of the initiatives she undertook as First Lady.  Overall, the book is a portrait of a resilient, strong , intelligent, compassionate woman who cares deeply about her family as well as doing good for society.

Verdict:  Add your name to the hold list -- we have 3 copies so you won't have to wait forever!