Marathon County Public Library

Leliani has only one friend, Autumn, and the popular group of Haileys at school look like they would be fun friends, so she decides to plan a sleepover and invite them. However, with her confused grandmother helping with the party, the kids on the “D

Leliani has only one friend, Autumn, and the popular group of Haileys at school look like they would be fun friends, so she decides to plan a sleepover and invite them. However, with her confused grandmother helping with the party, the kids on the “Do Not Invite” list get invited instead of kids on the “Do Invite” list. So now she’s stuck with the worst sleepover guests ever: Todd, her older cousin, who farts obnoxiously all the time, William, a boy in her apartment building who doesn’t even talk (selective mutism), and “Manga Girl,” who always wears hoodies /hats with horns/cat ears and draws obsessively, most likely, Leliani thinks, mean pictures of her, and of course her old friend Autumn.

As if things are not bad enough already, Leliani's mother is too busy to shop and her grandmother prepares some kind of ancient magical Sleepover Soup broth for the party which her grandmother says is a Hawaiian tradition. With no real food or activities on the day of the sleepover, the guests and Leliani decide to follow the instructions on her grandmother’s recipe card and go on a scavenger hunt to find and add each of their own special, meaningful ingredient to the sleepover soup. Then, according to the instructions, they take the soup pot outside and make a wish under the moonlight to the ancient Hawaiian god, Hina-i-ka-malama, with of course surprising results.

I loved this magical, charming tween book for its simplicity and honesty, and yes I was rooting for all of these characters. This is a quick, wise, wonderful read. It just might change your life, at least a little. Ah, there's the magic!

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
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Kris bought her first electric guitar with her savings, never imaging that she would eventually become the guitarist for a semi-famous heavy metal band. But on the eve of their big break, the lead singer, Terry, did something more horrible than selli

Kris bought her first electric guitar with her savings, never imaging that she would eventually become the guitarist for a semi-famous heavy metal band. But on the eve of their big break, the lead singer, Terry, did something more horrible than selling out, and while he went on to achieve fame and glory, the rest of the band disappeared into obscurity. Now 34 years later, as Terry, aka the Blind King, embarks on his retirement tour, Kris decides she is finally going to confront him and make it right. Starting with the former rhythm guitarist, Scottie, Kris manages to touch base with each of her former band mates, some of them sunk into craziness, while others have accepted their fate as washed up former musicians. But this isn't just the story of a faded musician trying for one last grasp at glory; this is the story of someone fighting for her very soul. Kris created or channeled some hidden evil while writing their last recorded, but unreleased album and this evil has taken over the lives of Terry, Scottie, Kris and their former band mates. As Kris travels closer and closer to the Blind King's last massive concert, so is every other metal head in the United States and Terry won't be happy to see her, but maybe she can finally exorcise some of the demons that have haunted her for years. This is a fun horror novel that plays with just about every trope of heavy metal, black metal and satanism, manages to leave a deeper impression and comments on the perils of fame and fortune, all in one book. While the horror itself is minimal, the effect it has on the lives of everyone involved is clearly scarier than anything otherworldly. Using the band's last unreleased album as a guiding light through the darkness helps the propel the novel forward and leaves a lasting impression. Grady Hendrix has a way of taking the normal and skewing it to show the horrors that lie just beneath the banal surface, and this novel, even while using the tropes of black metal, is no different.

Julie K. / Marathon County Public Library
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Sadie is alone in the world. Her sister was murdered and her mother has abandoned them. With nothing to lose, Sadie sets out to find the person she believes is responsible for her sister's death. Told from two perspectives, Sadie's own and from the p

Sadie is alone in the world. Her sister was murdered and her mother has abandoned them. With nothing to lose, Sadie sets out to find the person she believes is responsible for her sister's death. Told from two perspectives, Sadie's own and from the perspective of a podcast producer/narrator, this novel is an intricate puzzle. The reader needs to pay attention to the clues that have been left along the way by Sadie, as well as the explanations from the podcaster, West McCray, in order to reconstruct not only the story itself, but Sadie's personal history and beliefs. If you like novels that are wrapped up neatly and tied with a bow, "Sadie" isn't the book for you. We are left to wonder exactly what will happen if Sadie gets her revenge and where she will go from there. For me, the unique point of view of someone who is not intimately tied to Sadie and her family but curious about what happens is an unusual counterpoint to being able to witness Sadie's inner thoughts, memories and hopes. The writer was able to accurately portray how a podcast might tell Sadie's story so well that I was able to "hear" the podcast as I read. In addition, she did an excellent job of portraying the different people that Sadie meets along the way and how they react to her and how differently they react to West McCray when he speaks with them, which subtly highlights class differences in America. Overall, an interesting book that tells an unusual story.

Julie K. / Marathon County Public Library
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Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, stars of Will and Grace and Parks and Recreation respectively, open up about their successful Hollywood relationship. This is an opportunity to learn about Megan and Nick's upbringings, morals, what brought them toge

Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, stars of Will and Grace and Parks and Recreation respectively, open up about their successful Hollywood relationship. This is an opportunity to learn about Megan and Nick's upbringings, morals, what brought them together, as well as what keeps them together. They share advice on life and love, and provide a glimpse into what it is like to live as a famous actor and actress in today's world. Their personalities and playful language (as some may expect can get a bit sexual) are just what you would expect. I found their thoughts on love and life refreshing and could relate a lot to them. I have always been a fan of theirs, and of them as a couple, so this book was a fun read for me!

It is important to note that the book is just what it is described as in the title; an oral history. The book itself reads like a script, or long conversation, between Megan and Nick. I listened to the audio book read by the couple and it was very much a nice, authentic conversation between the two. I would definitely utilize the audio book for the story and use the book for the pictures. You won't be disappointed!

Ashley C. / Marathon County Public Library
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Ellie and her grandfather have become better friends since last year when her grandfather turned himself young again through a science experiment and attended Ellie’s middle school. In this sequel to The Fourteenth Goldfish, crusty teenage scientist

Ellie and her grandfather have become better friends since last year when her grandfather turned himself young again through a science experiment and attended Ellie’s middle school. In this sequel to The Fourteenth Goldfish, crusty teenage scientist (with two PhDs) Melvin Sagarsky returns.

Having her grandfather around has encouraged in Ellie a love for science. Yet what she discovers as his lab partner for the school science fair is far deeper than watching fruit flies sprout wings. “Failure is a part of experimentation,” Melvin says. You can always learn something from your mistakes. Although it may sound simple, this timely advice is just what Ellie needs to save her relationship with her best friend.

The book’s overall mood is light-hearted and fun, and it’s full of humorous situations: imagine going on a double date with your grandpa! But besides that, the many tender moments between Ellie and Melvin woven into this story make it stand out as an extraordinary work.

Elizabeth L. / Marathon County Public Library
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Louisana Elefante used to think that she knew who she was. She was told that she was the daughter of circus performers who died doing a trapeze act and she now lives with her grandmother. But when her grandmother awakens her in the middle of the nigh

Louisana Elefante used to think that she knew who she was. She was told that she was the daughter of circus performers who died doing a trapeze act and she now lives with her grandmother. But when her grandmother awakens her in the middle of the night and tells her to get in the car, without her cat or dog or even saying goodbye to her friends in order to escape the day of reckoning from her great grandfather’s curse, the curse of sundering, she doesn’t know what to think. When they finally arrive in a small Georgia town with no money and her grandmother greatly ailing from tooth pain and apparently other problems, Louisiana discovers some secrets about her own past. She quickly must make decisions about who she really is and where she wants to belong. Heartbreakingly real and heartwarming at the same time, I loved Louisiana Elefante and this tween novel by Newbery award-winning author Kate DiCamillo.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
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Seventh-grade student Alex worries about everything, including worrying about worrying, but mostly about everyone dying and all the germs on people and surfaces everywhere. He always wears gloves and washes his hands compulsively, so much so that his

Seventh-grade student Alex worries about everything, including worrying about worrying, but mostly about everyone dying and all the germs on people and surfaces everywhere. He always wears gloves and washes his hands compulsively, so much so that his skin is cracked, raw, and painful. Because of his OCD he is picked on at school and bullied repeatedly, primarily by classmates Dan and Sophie who appear to take great joy in tormenting him and calling him names like Shark Face. But Dan has underlying problems of his own, with pent-up anger and sorrow about his brother Ben, who he is close to, being locked up at a secure detention facility. When Dan and Alex’s parents (who are unaware of the bullying) suddenly arrange the unimaginable--for both boys to work together on Shooting Star, the raft that Dan was working on with his brother before he went away, both boys are angry, afraid and resentful.

With chapters alternating between narrators Dan and Alex, we are given an intimate, inside view into the hearts and souls of these two boys. This is not so much a tween book about bullying as it is a novel about how very much we are alike. When given the chance to really see each other, our differences become just a small part of who we really are. This rewarding, heart-warming novel is one everyone should read.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
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Erin, a filmmaker, and Mark, an investment banker, seem like the perfect couple with the perfect life. Newly married, they embark on a lavish honeymoon in Bora Bora. It's a perfect honeymoon until they find something ominous in the water while scuba

Erin, a filmmaker, and Mark, an investment banker, seem like the perfect couple with the perfect life. Newly married, they embark on a lavish honeymoon in Bora Bora. It's a perfect honeymoon until they find something ominous in the water while scuba diving. They have to decide whether to tell the truth about their discovery or keep it hidden. Their final choice is a point of no return, and creates a tidal wave of consequences neither of them could have imagined. This novel, endorsed by Reese Witherspoon's Book Club, is sure to keep readers gripped until the final twist!

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
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Jane leads a relatively normal life, taking care of two children and teaching a creative writing class (while she not-so-patiently waits for the day she is an officially published author). Her husband, Leon, is already an accomplished novelist and th

Jane leads a relatively normal life, taking care of two children and teaching a creative writing class (while she not-so-patiently waits for the day she is an officially published author). Her husband, Leon, is already an accomplished novelist and the main breadwinner of the family. When he's brutally attacked in their own driveway while Jane is only steps away inside, Jane's life crumbles around her. What makes it even worse? She suddenly becomes the main suspect. In an effort to clear her name and find out what truly happened, Jane is forced to delve into the secrets her husband kept, even though she's threatened along the way. I loved this new novel by one of my favorite authors. It was an enticing, fast paced read about jealousy and secrets, and the twist at the end was fantastic!

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
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When his father brings home a sickly, half-dead baby donkey in the middle of winter, Louie, who has not had luck keeping things alive like goldfish, worms and bugs, is determined to do whatever it takes to save it. Suffering the loss of his brother,

When his father brings home a sickly, half-dead baby donkey in the middle of winter, Louie, who has not had luck keeping things alive like goldfish, worms and bugs, is determined to do whatever it takes to save it. Suffering the loss of his brother, Gus, who recently joined the army, having a baby donkey to love helps soothe Louie's lonely heart and gives him something to take his mind off his brother. But Winslow becomes so much more than that, and even his eccentric and pessimistic new friend, Nora, falls in love with Winslow. But as Winslow thrives in his care, the problems get bigger too and tough decisions regarding Winslow’s future must be made. Newbery Medal award-winning author, Sharon Creech, gives us this charming, sweet, heart-warming story that is perfect for younger tweens looking for a good animal story. I loved it!

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
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